| Author | Message | ||
     cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 244 Registered: 05-2005 |
New Josh Rouse is cool with a great jazzy orchestral instrumental opening track and some good songs as well as quirky spanish and bossa nova stylings | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 594 Registered: 10-2008 |
Frank, from previous thread in case you missed it you can listen to the Truckers album in full at their website. The stream is excellent quality. http://www.drivebytruckers.com/ | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 1004 Registered: 08-2004 |
Field Music - Field Music - soft rock for middle aged youngsters just like Midlake Neil Young - Neil Young Bunnymen - Ocean Rain Live 2008 Dead Weather - Horehound Depeche Mode - Violator | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 217 Registered: 03-2007 |
Tunng - And Then We Saw Land | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 348 Registered: 10-2006 |
Louise Attaque – Louise Attaque Violin flurried fast strumming acoustic post-punk accordianless sort of-Cajun stomp with an attractively abrasive forthright voice. Highly invigorating. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1780 Registered: 09-2006 |
Sleater-Kinney The entire catalog. I've loved some of their songs, but more often admired them greatly from a slight distance. Now, for whatever reason, they're coming on very strong for me. Hot Rock remains my favorite album. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1899 Registered: 10-2004 |
Tactics - The Sound of the Sound Vol. 2 I'm so happy that Randy turned me onto this band. They were, quite clearly, brilliant. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2282 Registered: 03-2005 |
Agreed, Jeff. The first volume is brilliant too, but with earlier aesthetics. I'm currently listening to Brighter: singles 1989-1992. I'm only on the third song so far. They seem to be a droning C86 band, all major chords and little or no distortion; like a pretty and wimpy Jesus and Mary Chain. Pleasant enough. But not brilliant and bristling like the Tactics. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3418 Registered: 05-2005 |
Roddy Frame - Western Skies | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 145 Registered: 11-2007 |
@Randy: Thx for the Tactics track  Ordered the Sound of the Sound Vol. 2 two minutes ago... | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 246 Registered: 05-2005 |
Race Horses - Goodbye Falkenberg Young welsh band with Gorkys and Super Furry elements a crazy mix of psychedelia,tropicalia, mariachia and very cool indeed.Bursting with ideas and potential | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3419 Registered: 05-2005 |
Holly Miranda - The Magician's Private Library. Just arrived from the Rough Trade albums club today (along with a bonus EP of cover versions). I like it a lot on first listen. The EP is very good too, apart from the Lauren Hill cover. I can't bear her, which probably soured me on the track before I even heard it. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 218 Registered: 03-2007 |
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2285 Registered: 03-2005 |
Andreas, I actually tried to send you two tracks including one from their earlier period but it was bounced back twice. You need a bigger e-mail box. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2286 Registered: 03-2005 |
Continuing on my Sarah Records thing I'm now listening to Glass Arcade, an anthology with ten artists. It's starting out with a lovely instrumental called "Holland Street" by the Field Mice. Quite promising. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 646 Registered: 05-2005 |
What do you think of Mumford and Sons Hugh? A bit Midlake for my tastes but I only heard bits and pieces in a record shop. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1905 Registered: 10-2004 |
Field Mice were alright. I have a 2-cd anthology by them that I've neglected for years. I should pull it out. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3421 Registered: 05-2005 |
Sloan's singles collection. A lovely comp. | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 146 Registered: 11-2007 |
@Randy: yeah, my post box was full ;) Thx for trying I am just listening to a copy of the original Glebe version - starting like kind of Talking Heads and getting more and more post punk... Interesting music, must listen till the end. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2287 Registered: 03-2005 |
There are two excellent songs by Even As We Speak on Glass Arcade as well. They turn out to be an Aussie band! They have the distinction of having appeared on John Peel's show. Well, obviously I have get their stuff. A nice comprehensive collection of their early singles was collected on an anthology in 2007 and is already unavailable and on the first pass through I can't find a copy on Amazon Marketplace (either U.S. or U.K.) or eBay or Rockinghorse Records or NewZealandCDs. Grrr. Any suggestions, Hugh? I do have a copy of their only Sarah long player steaming my way from the U.K.. LTM have very nicely put out everything by the Field Mice. The three tracks of theirs on Glass Arcade are very stylish. So the LTM reissues are all heading my way. Andreas, I get too much music. I need to sit down and give the Glebe tracks a proper listen again. That's the album of theirs that had the least immediate appeal. My instant faves were the first album and the third, Blue & White Future Whale. I also finally skimmed through Mina's "Love Box." This is a 3CD anthology containing mostly '70s-vintage recordings. I knew I wouldn't be a fan of a lot of it but I've pulled a total of 16 songs for inclusion on iTunes and some of them are really great. All of the Mogol/Battisti songs are at least worth hearing and "Insieme" sounds like it must have been a career milestone for her. It's simply a great great Italian pop production, a little reminiscent of the Easybeats' late dramatic ballads (like "Falling Off the Edge of World" and "Hello, How Are You?") but of course less rock band-ish in sound. The whole single is a monument of Italian wrist-slash pop from the slightly clunky rockaballad arrangement to the meandering Battisti song structure to Mina's tantalizingly brief call and response with the backup singers (other tracks of her?) in the first chorus right to the 1963 American ending. Everything is just right. Here's a clip of her lip-synching the song, complete with scream-inducing period visuals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9HvL0lA5 UM I could kill the recording engineer on some of the later recordings on this set for applying an excessive amount of high lift to the EQ. Some otherwise good songs were completely ruined by this error. Mina's voice should ALWAYS be recorded with a firm bias to the midrange, using one of Jeff's beloved ribbon mics, and only enough high lift to ensure clear understanding of the consonants. And she always sounds great with some reverb. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 219 Registered: 03-2007 |
Randy, the Even As We Speak anthology was issued by Egg Records ( based in Scotland ) in July, 2007. It is showing as 'Out Of Stock' on their website and given that the label has not released anything in the almost three years I think it is probably unlikely that it will be re-pressed. More than happy to send you a CDR of the album while you search for a copy. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 220 Registered: 03-2007 |
Geoff, I like Sigh No More. I own copies of the first two Midlake albums but have never managed to get into them. I prefer the songwriting and vocals of Mumford & Sons and the album as a whole is more uptempo than the Midlake releases. I can send you some MP3s if you want. Not sure if you can receive same at your forum e-mail address ( work? ) | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 598 Registered: 10-2008 |
virgo - virgo. seminal, hard as nails chicago house from 1989. bass tremblers galore pavement - quarantine the past. drive by truckers - the big to-do the fall - your future our clutter. new album on domino records - can this label get any better? (orange juice career overview coming on domino next month) liars - sisterworld. reminds me of 154 by wire sparklehorse - good morning spider | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 647 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thanks for the up on Mumford and Sons Hugh. My email SHOULD be able to receive stuff if you'd like to send me a track or 2. Just got the Stve Kilbey(Church)/Jeffery Cain(Remy Zero) collaboration "Isidore". Very good on first 2 listens - it actually is reminicent of early-ish Steve Kilbey stuff. They also sent me a Karmic Hit Compilation too. It has some moments too though I've only heard it once. | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 147 Registered: 11-2007 |
@Randy & Hugh: on amazon.de there is a japanese version of an "Even As We Speak"-album available - but quite expansive.... Just listening to The Human League - Travelogue | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 221 Registered: 03-2007 |
Andreas, very expensive indeed. I managed to track down a reasonably priced copy of the Egg Records release of 'A Three Minute Song Is One Too Many' for Randy from an Australian Retailer and he has ordered same. Geoff, do you have a copy of 'Unseen Music Unheard Words' by Steve Kilbey ( The Church ) and Martin Kennedy ( All India Radio )? Currently listening to 'My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go' by Aereogramme. Scottish band ( Glasgow ) who recorded four albums between 2001 and 2007 before calling it a day. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 222 Registered: 03-2007 |
Geoff, I e-mailed you a few Mumford & Sons samples earlier tonight. A couple of them have just been returned with an 'over quota' message. Let me know which ones you have received ( probably Tracks 1, 2 and 4 ) and I will send the others again. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 648 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hugh, No...but that's next on my list. The Isidore thing is really good though - it will probably be one of those albums that defines this period of time for me. Thanks for the Mumford and sons - I haven't had a chance to play them yet. Randy, a mate of mine who married an Italian has been raving about Mina for years to me. Should I investigate? | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 247 Registered: 05-2005 |
the return of the mighty fall - your future our clutter (thanks be to Kev) stomps all over the music/indie scene as usual like an angry northern monster | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 350 Registered: 10-2006 |
Geoff, there’s a very excited & knowledgeable review of a Mina collection (The Platinum Collection) by another guy in California at Amazon.com which backs up Randy’s enthusiasm. I’ve always been a bit indifferent towards her simply because most of the time I prefer the original versions to her covers – no-one sang Battisti like Battisti himself, for instance. And the problem with an extraordinary voice is that when you can do anything with it, perhaps you end up doing nothing: I prefer singers with fragile voices who have to struggle a bit sometimes. But she obviously was an extraordinary singer and worth investigating – the problem is where to start and how to sort the wheat from the chaff. And by chance there’s a TV special coming up here to celebrate her 70th birthday, so that might be a good place to start. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2292 Registered: 03-2005 |
Is the new Fall record substantially better than Reformation Post? I believe Kevin really liked that one and I thought it was a huge embarrassment. I said enough bad things about it when it came out so I won't start in again . . . but I've become very wary of Mr. Smith. Geoff, as with most pop artists you have to sift through a lot of crap to get the good Mina stuff. She is unquestionably a fine singer with extraordinary breath and vocal control but she did a LOT of stuff that was dull in the MOR way (will make your dad happy) or tilted from spectacular melodrama into dreary soppiness. I'll send you some samples scattered across the part of her long career that I have and you can see what you think. Be patient though; I'm going out of town this weekend so you won't hear from me for a couple days. My Sarah Records thing is metastasizing. I listened to the "London Weekend" CD by Another Sunny Day last night. Most of it was pretty good. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 776 Registered: 04-2006 |
i am a bit irritated. the new fall album will be released on april. does really one of you have the album already? | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 777 Registered: 04-2006 |
and btw: i am listening at this moment to yair yona - remember an israelian playing acoustic guitar in the fahey/basho/rose(btw: another one died much to young. jack rose. 39 years old. one of the great american primitive guitar players)-style. other stuff i listened to recently: django reinhardt - anthology not because this year is his 100th anniversary, but just because this is hot, swinging music with great guitar playing. wim mertens - maximizing the audience minimal music at its best various - from brussels with love because of wim mertens resp. soft verdict. can't remember when i heard this sampler the last time. yeasayer - odd blood take this, hot chip! the new johnny cash album ain't no grave and the new kammerflimmer kollektief album called wildling what they sound like? read it here: http://obscuresound.com/?p=4150 the hollies - on a carousel 1963-1974 raven done a great job. 25 highlights. henryk mikolai gorecki - symphony no. 3 ''symphony of sorrowful songs'' (a title which explains itself) and not to forget jack rose's latest album 'luck in the valley' which has been released after his tragic death. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 247 Registered: 05-2005 |
Spoon -Girl can tell Wild Beast - Two dancers Get well soon - Vexations British Sea Power - Man of Aran Lloyd Cole - Plastic Wood Four Tet- There is love in you | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 778 Registered: 04-2006 |
joanna newsom - have one on me o.k., i know this isn't the right place/right forum to praise this marvellous work, because -as far i remember- most of you don't like the music and the voice of this young lady. nevertheless, this is a masterpiece and for sure one of th ehighlight sof 2010. heavenly! | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 649 Registered: 05-2005 |
Andreas, you are a brave man posting luv for Joanna Newsome here! I know what you mean about being irritated though. It seems that some posters here can always get their hands on albums months before us plebs get to listen to them. I have asked, but no one ever replies to my question....How do they do it? | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 605 Registered: 10-2008 |
geoff, my initial explanation to your query about album availabilty would be "different hemispheres" :-) - you're in oz and i'm not. although i think more and more albums are being released in the same week no matter what part of the world the record buyer resides. my second explanation would be having friends, or friends of friends in the record industry who are a bit handy with a cd burner. and while i have your attention, and totally off topic, i watched one of those bbc music documentaries which tonight focused on prog rock. i was tickled to hear that there is a school of thought that the beatles were to blame for this ghastly musical genre, specifically because of foisting sgt pepper on the musicians of that era. more reason, as if i needed any, to despise the not so fab four even more ;-) the programme itself was the most po faced piece of tripe its been my misfortune to watch in a long time, truly truly dreadful. the telling thing for me was, that unlike the recent programme on heavy metal, the musicians didnt seem to be proud of what they had created, they were aware that we all knew it was pretentious rubbish. they passed this off by saying "oh it was the 70's,the age of excess, everything was bigger,longer blah blah blah" the only shining light was that beacon of humility and graciousness in a sea of pomposity - robert wyatt | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2294 Registered: 03-2005 |
Geoff, I'm on a red-eye to Louisiana later tonight. I tried to send you a decent handful of Mina tracks but they were bounced back. You need to clear out your mailbox. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 606 Registered: 10-2008 |
randy, early days yet for the fall album, not made my mind up yet as i've only had 3 or 4 listens. its the usual template from the last 10 yrs, a few rockabilly-esque tunes, bass as lead instrument, smith barking over it, with keyboard drones floating in the mix. its a beefy sound, probably cos domino sunk a few quid into recording costs. probably no chance of being in the best 10 fall albums, but still one i will enjoy playing no doubt. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3428 Registered: 05-2005 |
Geoff, I sometimes get preview copies of new albums. These days it's mostly a watermarked download link rather than a physical copy. Sign of the times. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3429 Registered: 05-2005 |
Right now I'm listening to Perry Keyes' Johnny Ray's Downtown. It's a lovely package with great period photos of the Redfern to Coogee area that Keyes is writing about. That's south inner city Sydney to the eastern beaches for those of you not from Sydney! I got the record yesterday for a bargain $13. It's only just out, so I don't know why it was so cheap. Probably to ensure people like me took the leap and actually bought it I suppose! Job done then. I'm playing it for the second time and it sounds great. I'm not sure many of my fellow posters here would like it though. It's a bit too Springsteenesque for the Bruce haters here. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 224 Registered: 03-2007 |
Randy, as far as Geoff's mailbox is concerned, I suspect I may have got in just before you. Anything more than three tracks at a time will be bounced if my experience is anything to go by. Currently listening to :- The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit Frightened Rabbit by Frightened Rabbit. Scottish band who hail from Selkirk in the Borders. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3435 Registered: 05-2005 |
Big Star - Third | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2297 Registered: 03-2005 |
Field Mice--Sky Writing Brighter--Out to Sea Let's Go Naked--Insides | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 609 Registered: 10-2008 |
the method actors - this is still it. compilation of postpunk band from early 80s. i am normally suspicious of "scenes",(in this case athens ga) and this album seems to bear my theory out. sounds like 3rd rate pere ubu on the opening tracks, scratchy guitars, bassless, out of tune vocals. got better towards the middle, but can anybody here say "no wait a minute, you gotta persevere, its great really"? breakage - foundation. biggest dubstep/techno album of the year so far. sparklehorse - good morning spider. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1914 Registered: 10-2004 |
Kevin, the Method Actors were the one Athens, GA band I couldn't get into. It's been years since I heard them, but I remember playing the record only once before selling it. | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 248 Registered: 05-2005 |
Dexys Midnight Runners - Dont Stand Me Down also just listened to the new Goldfrapp and have forgotten it already | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3446 Registered: 05-2005 |
SPIN Presents AUSTIN POWER: Best SXSW Bands 2010. It's a free download from Spin's website. | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 665 Registered: 01-2006 |
Spoon - Transference Broken Bells - Broken Bells Randy Newman - Randy Newman Loose Fur - Born Again In The USA | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 614 Registered: 10-2008 |
calling all wilco fans - you got to hear this. http://www.bolachas.org/?p=6500 (just click on the "try" hyperlink to download) it just proves that jim o'rourke wasnt necessarily the one who came up with the idea of making YHF sound left field, looks like the vision was already there. Tracklist: I’m The Man Who Loves You Kamera Magazine Called Sunset Poor Places Shakin Sugar War On War Ashes Of American Flags Cars Can’t Escape Pot Kettle Black The Good Part I Am Trying To Break Your Heart Reservations Let Me Come Home Heavy Metal Drummer Nothing Up My Sleeve Corduroy Cutoff Girl(Radio Cure) Never Let You Down Venus Stop the train | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 667 Registered: 01-2006 |
Kevin, I've had this for years and can't recommend it enough. There's also another version of this (ie more demo versions) called just YHF Demos I think which again is great. I think it has about 24 songs on it. There are some fantastic unreleased songs here like Shaking Sugar (also called Alone), Cars Can't Escape (really beautiful), Venus Stopped The Train, Let Me Come Home and The Good Part, top notch stuff. There's also a number of great Kamera versions, the heaviest of which turned up on the great YHF era More Like The Moon EP which you really should get a hold of. You'll have a ball listening to this... Here's the link, scroll down to the very bottom under Compilations & demos. The other YHF demos are called YHF Demos 1 I think. http://www.owlandbear.com/wilco-archive/ | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 668 Registered: 01-2006 |
Just checked and the other one I'm referring to is listed there as the YHF Engineer's Demos so try the two. It also list all their other demos and most of their live shows. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 617 Registered: 10-2008 |
xy, it really shows how creative and prolific wilco were at this stage, a real top notch group. like the notes on the weblink say, i dont think anyone should underestimate jay bennetts input at this time, i really think the creative decline started with his sacking. nels cline can guitar w*nk all he likes, but to me its covering up a dearth of ideas. i liken it to bands who bizarrely decide to add string sections to albums, more often than not a sure sign that the songs are not up to scratch. anyway, im off on one of my anti wilco rants again, better reign it in. :-) | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 618 Registered: 10-2008 |
anthony "shake" shakir - frictionalisms. 3 cd comp of this detroit techno pioneer. cannot rate this highly enough. if kraftwerk were sexy!! | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 650 Registered: 05-2005 |
Listening to: Isidore - Just go and buy it...now. You'll love it. When I got it a couple of weeks ago it was cheap on the Karmic Hit website too - $A10! From 2004, Steve Kilbey and Jeffery Cain. Like a distillation of all of the best parts of Kilbey's solo albums with a bit of updating. Best album I've heard all year (6 years behind....as usual!) All 3 Buffalo Springfield. The first sounds like Jetset/Beefeaters period "Byrds", the second has classic CSN and Neil Young,and the third.....Hmmm. Dimmer - There my dear. Solid so far. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream. The Sleepy Jackson reimagined in the 80's. I though you guys had "connections" with releases. A mate of mine was always getting sent stuff too in the 80's as he was writing the entertainment section for a country paper. I got the Mina and the Mumford and Sons stuff thanks Randy and Hugh. Work's been hectic ...and not in a good way so pardon my tardiness at getting back to you. I've since bought Sigh no more. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 225 Registered: 03-2007 |
Geoff, his collaboration with Martin Kennedy ( All India Radio ) is, in my opinion, even better so you could be in for treat when you eventually purchase a copy in 2015. :-) 'Eyes Ahead' 'Maybe Soon' and 'Uh I Dunno' are classic Kilbey. Currently listening to The Unwinding Hours by The Unwinding Hours. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3454 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Wonder Stuff - If The Beatles Had Read Hunter…The Singles | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2300 Registered: 03-2005 |
Geoff, give those Buffalo Springfield records some more listens. The first album is cheaply produced but it's far out of the league of Preflyte Byrds. One of the wonderful things about the album is that Richie Furay was put to the task of singing a lot of Neil Young's songs. The songs are all great. And the sound gives you a proper idea of what they sounded like on stage on the Sunset Strip in 1966. The arrangements are real ones that they could play on stage without adding people with great guitar interplay. It's a truly great album. "Again" has always been their chief classic but it's very much a studio album, particularly thanks to Jack Nitzsche. They grew up fast. And growing up fast they also disintegrated fast on "Last Time Around" but Richie Furay finally wrote an honestly great song ("Kind Woman") and Neil Young's songs were strong. "On the Way Home" sounds like what it is--a rather soul-stirring swan song. Stills' brief artistic bloom was already fading and "Question" and "Uno Mundo" sound forced and lifeless; you can hear that the band has died. Only Gram Parsons chewed, digested and spat out a band faster than Stills/Young/Furay did here. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3456 Registered: 05-2005 |
Five New Songs. A challenging listen. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3457 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Clock. Some melody! What a difference 22 years makes! | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 669 Registered: 01-2006 |
Kevin,I agree re Cline, I don't think he's needed in Wilco at all, unlike Glenn Kotche. That YHF era was really prolific for Tweedy. All those fantastic outtakes, different versions of album tracks, some great stuff on the More Like The Moon EP and then the first Loose Fur album with Kotche and Jim O'Rourke. A Ghost Is Born was written just by Tweedy and I think it's up there with YHF. Also Tweedy as lead guitar lended a really raw sound to that album, in a lot of places his playing sounds like Neil Young. O'Rourke had a big influence on that album too. Around this time Loose Fur released their second album Born Again In The USA and again there was some really inventive stuff on that. Apparently Wilco are back in the studio but after the last two I'd prefer a Loose Fur record. It's funny but I've never listened to a Wilco album as little as the last one. Some great songs on it but I lose interest near the end of Side 1. They could have re-recorded 5 of those YHF demos, put them on Wilco The Album and it would have been so much better. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 651 Registered: 05-2005 |
Is the 5 new songs those referred to in another thread Padraig? Were you the one who forked out $500? Excluding Pavement(which isn't music... ;)), the last album that had me reaching for "challenging" was David Sylvian's "Blemish". More info please. Randy, hey I like the stuff but that's what I'm hearing in it at the moment. Again is great. Neil Young trying to do ALL of Sgt Pepper in the last song...great!...unless you hate prog of course. It's late, I'm marking and I'm hungry. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 1007 Registered: 08-2004 |
Yeah which 5 songs are on this tape? What is tape? Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Drive By Truckers - The Big To-Do Dexy's - Projected Passion Revue The Clash - Live At Shea Stadium Broadcast - Tender Buttons | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2302 Registered: 03-2005 |
Geoff, I do hate prog. But I don't see "Broken Arrow" and "Expecting to Fly" as prog at all. They're psychedelia. A friend of mine calls that style "Pepper Pomp." Another great example, also from an LA studio, is the Monkees' "Porpoise Song." | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3461 Registered: 05-2005 |
Not me who spent the $500 Geoff! The songs sound as Guy Ewald described them elsewhere. Jerry, the tracks are: 01 Heaven Says 02 Undo What You Did 03 People Know 04 Cracked Wheat 05 A Peaceful Wreck Undo What You Did and Cracked Wheat appeared, in much clearer sounding versions than the mp3s I have, on the second disc of Send Me A Lullaby - Expanded Edition. The other three will see the light of day on a box set at some point I'm sure. | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 251 Registered: 05-2005 |
Colourfield - Virgins and Philistines Hawkwind - Quark, Strangeness and Charm Graham Coxon - The Kiss of Morning | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 624 Registered: 10-2008 |
anybody listened to the galaxie 500 albums that have just been reissued on domino? i was never a big fan, thought they did some decent stuff, but had always lumped them in with the "pale, skinny,tortured white boy with velvets obsession"category. maybe i should listen with fresh ears? | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2304 Registered: 03-2005 |
Yesterday, a copy of Egg Records' anthology of Even As We Speak dropped through the mail slot. This is a great collection of sometimes almost Cannanes-like stuff. I'm puzzled why it's so good and their Sarah Records album is so not. I'll have to give it another shot. Also, Field Mice' "Skywriting." Aside from two long boring numbers, this 2 CD set is pretty enjoyable. | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 256 Registered: 05-2005 |
Ultravox - Systems of Romance | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 3469 Registered: 05-2005 |
Richard Bell - various, yes various, yes various! Tuxedo Moon - Holy Wars Nick Heyward - comp Joni Mitchell - Turbulent Indigo Bert Jansch - Jack Orion Bertrand Burgalat - Portrait Robot John Cale - Artificial Intelligence Wild Beasts - 2 Dancers Fairport Convention - The wood and the wire Claude Debussy - 2 Arabesque various preludes Cornelius - Point Kitchens of Distinction - Strange Free World | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 625 Registered: 10-2008 |
spence, nice one on the john cale. theres an interesting article in the new uncut which lists the "50 greatest lost albums" and john cale's "music for a new society" is listed at no10. "50 GREAT LOST ALBUMS Believe it or not, there are still official releases by The Who, Van Morrison – even The Beatles – currently out of print. Here's our pick, including an in-depth look at Neil Young's astonishing Time Fades Away…" Predictably, being uncut they have "time fades away" at no1. its a strange list, because lots of the albums i have and am sure most of us have quite a few of them, but as well as bugger to find stuff such as tim buckleys starsailor it has stuff that is out of print, like "from the lions mouth" by the sound and "california" by american music club. worth a read. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1764 Registered: 01-2005 |
Robyn Hithcock & The Venus 3 - Propeller Time (just released but recorded between the V3's Ole! Tarantula and Goodnight Oslo) Robyn Hitchcock - Shadow Cat (1990's odds and sods collection released two years ago) | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 295 Registered: 02-2007 |
Badly Drawn Boy - Hour of Bewilderbeast Eric Bibb - Diamond Days Birds of Tokyo - Universes David Bowie - Low | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1922 Registered: 10-2004 |
Spence, how's it going? I just got a copy of Tuxedomoon's Holy Wars on CD in the dollar bin. I've been playing it at work this week. It's strange but good. Also listening to: Tactics - Sound of the Sound Vol. 2 (again) Servants - Reserved Repetition - The Still Reflex 7" Smiths - Meat is Murder | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 3471 Registered: 05-2005 |
jeff, cool thanks, and you? glad you like the tuxmo! its the poppiest tuxmo album ever i think! i love the trumpet work on this album, and winston tong is pretty much all over it. you have theoretical chinese don't you? i recommend desitre and half mute albums, which are both teriffic and their best. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1766 Registered: 01-2005 |
Three groups on the Wings of Desire soundtrack that I don't own any albums by but want to someday: Tuxedomoon Crime and the City Solution Minimal Compact | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2305 Registered: 03-2005 |
Very nice to have back on the board Spence. This morning I'm listening to the "plus" disc to the Field Mice' "Skywriting." The album is on the weak side of the scale but the collection of singles, EPs and outtakes is the reason to own the LTM reissue. Except, if you ever get the idea of writing a song called "A Heart Disease Called Love" stop and re-think it. Meanwhile I'm really looking forward to the Triffids box which Domino says it has posted to me. I assume there will be lots of unnecessary things to wade through but I'm sure there will be some gems hidden in there. "Treeless Plain" and their singles/EPs preceding it have become great favorites of mine so I'm hoping tracks from the last cassette are as good. I'm sure I've already said it but IMO a big recording budget is usually the death of a good record and the Triffids' career provides exhibit A. Necessity is the mother of invention and if there ain't no necessity, well . . . you get the idea. While I'm not quite in the "a group who uses strings is doing crap" camp that Kevin is in I'm probably in the next house down the road. I'm reminded of the Hollies. Whenever they brought in the strings all the little ingenious arrangement tricks that figure among my favorite features of their records (and which have been a major inspiration to me on my own stuff) would disappear. Just listen to all the arrangement ideas on "Treeless Plain." If "Calenture" didn't have the strings and the major label money it would almost certainly be the Triffids' breathtaking for-all-time masterpiece. Instead it's a bastardization of their single strongest group of songs. How frustrating. I'm also looking forward to a Bathers album coming my way. Spence sent me a few songs of theirs a long time ago and one popped up on the iPod the other day and I decided it was time to explore. Most of their releases are either unavailable or on the expensive side. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1924 Registered: 10-2004 |
Spence, I already have and love Desire and Half Mute and Ship of Fools, so Holy Wars was the only missing link in the chain, I think. It's very atmospheric, and I love how it kind of unfolds. And yeah, I have Theoretical Chinese and I like it. Nice Alan Rankine production. Tuxedomoon were one of the few San Francisco bands who accurately captured the city's atmosphere, but oddly enough (yet somehow not surprisingly), they were quick to leave and relocate to Belgium. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 626 Registered: 10-2008 |
Randy, I took delivery of the cheapo Triffids "best of" today. I had almost forgotten about it because I ordered it direct from Domino about 2 months ago(they sent me the free download version of the album almost straight away). I must admit I admire your voracious appetite for all things Triffids, but having looked at the contents of the 10 discs I am happy at paying just Ł5.99 rather than Ł60 for a bunch of crude demos's and live stuff(never been a fan of live albums - they bore me rigid) - I hope the packaging is good for that price. To be honest, given how cheap it is to reproduce CD's these days, for that amount of money they should be including every Triffids album as well within the box set. On the use of strings, I cant quite remember exactly what I said but I am not against strings per se. David Bowie and Neil Young(on their early 70s albums) and Love on Forever Changes are prime examples of fleshing out already excellent songs. My problem is when bands like The Bunnymen totally ruin an album like Ocean Rain by smothering the songs in them. The songs were good enough in their own right, but McCulloch probably thought that Bono and Jim Kerr were stealing his thunder so he decided to go all pompous and grandiose to play the same game as them - fatal own goal in my opinion. On McCulloch, I see he is jumping on the bandwagon of playing allegedly landmark albums live in their entirety, but he is going one better by mouthing off about gigs in which The Bunnymen will play both of the first two albums in their entirety. He is saying that these are the best back to back albums (one and two)that any band has ever created!! Seriously!! I like these albums but theyre not even in my all time top 500, but at least there are no strings so they will probably be good shows!! As I type this I am listening to Half Mute by Tuxedomoon, which I downloaded from Napster today after the chat from Spence and Jeff earlier. They're a band that passed me by, but this sounds interesting. Maybe its just me but I can hear a Teutonic, Krautrock thing going on on quite a few songs, a bit like a quirky Neu!! Also a bit of ACR and 23 Skidooo Currently bathing myself deeply in Chicago techno from the late eighties/early nineties. This stuff is amazingly futuristic and 20 years at least ahead of its time. Albums by Carl Craig, Anthony Shakir, Kenny Larkin, fantastic stuff. I'm just glad these guys didnt fall into the hip hop/rap field which is much more finacially lucrative, but lots of it is unlistenable to me, apart from the 80s stuff which was still inventive at least. The Bathers - Scottish band werent they? I'm sure I bought their debut album on vinyl, God knows where it is. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2306 Registered: 03-2005 |
Kevin, then it sounds like you and I are probably at just about the exact same spot on the strings subject. It does seem that a lot of artists start using them when they've gotten bored of doing their own arrangements. Or too lazy. Trouble is, I usually haven't gotten bored of hearing their own arrangements but I'll sure as hell almost always be bored by the routine arrangement supplied by the professional orchestrator. I can certainly think of exceptions. Peter Schickele did brilliant arrangements on a pair of Joan Baez albums for example. And Jack Nitzsche always did great arrangements. I agree that the strings on "Ocean Rain" seem rather out of place but I'm a lot less fond of that record than many other people. I've never heard Tuxedomoon. I had a vague notion that they are American which tends to mean "never mind" to me but I've no idea what they sound like. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 226 Registered: 03-2007 |
Kevin, The Bathers were really just Chris Thomson plus various musicians. The debut album ( Unusual Places To Die ) was released by Go! Discs in 1987. It has never been released on cd to the best of my knowledge. An 'Unofficial Bathers' website was set up some years ago and you could purchase unofficial releases from it including a two disc set of 'Unusual Places To Die.' I have no idea if it is still in existence. Randy, I am not absolutely certain but I believe the second album ( Sweet Deceit ) was released by Island. The next three ( Lagoon Blues; Sunpowder; Kelvingrove Baby ) were released on Marina Records, Hamburg, Germany. Kelvingrove Baby was subsequently re-released on Wrasse Records ( small U.K. label ) who also released Pandemonia. Kelvingrove Baby and Pandemonia are still listed for sale on the Wrasse Records website although I cannot guarantee that they will be able to supply them. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1926 Registered: 10-2004 |
Randy, Tuxedomoon were from SF, and were easily the artiest band on the "scene." After a couple of albums, they relocated to Europe, where they apparently felt much more at home. They quickly fell in with the Les Disques du Crepuscule scene out of Belgium. They never sounded particularly "American," whatever that means, but somehow their sound did manage to evoke the atmosphere of SF (gritty/urban juxtaposed with the geographic beauty of the area). At any rate, they were quite arty and experimental, and the music was generally centered around analog synths, bass, violin, and mechanical drum machines with random bursts of white noise. Almost always cynical and sarcastic, lyrically. I think Desire was their best album. At times quite challenging (within a pop context) and other times almost catchy and strangely pretty. Winston Tong handled most of the vocals from Desire onward, and he did a solo album produced by Associates' Alan Rankine called Theoretically Chinese, which I like (although it's poppier and less experimental than Tuxedomoon). Anyway, they were a genuinely interesting group, but I kind of have to be in a certain mood to listen to them. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2307 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks for the info Hugh. It's Pandemonia that's heading to me now as it was the only one I could get for cheap. I like to start cheap and then decide if I want to dig deeper. There's a "Best of" comp but even it turns out to be unavailable on Amazon. Plus everything on it is re-recorded. Thanks for the description of Tuxedomoon, Jeff. I think I know what you mean about needing to be in a particular mood to listen to them. I have a number of artists in my collection who fall into that category. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3469 Registered: 05-2005 |
Listening to The Bathers' Unusual Places To Die on vinyl right now! Thanks for the reminder of their existence guys. I haven't played it in 12 or 13 years I think. Track 1, side 1 - Perpetual Adoration - sounds very Bowie-ish. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1767 Registered: 01-2005 |
I'll check out Half Mute by Tuxedomoon for sure. Regarding the Bunneymen, Crocodiles would easily slip into my top 500, but none of their other albums would come close. After listening to their self titled 1983 ep with the all night version of The Killing Moon and the live Do It Clean dozens of time that year, I was somewhat disapointed with Ocean Rain when I bought it the following year. Regarding classic albums performed live as well as another 1984 album; If you get a chance check out Robyn Hitchcock's 2008 live performance of I Often Dream Of Trains that plays on the Sundance channel from time to time. It's well worth it and he adds a few new songs as well including Up To Our Necks from the movie Rachel Getting Married (in which he also appears as a wedding guest and member of the band). | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3471 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kevin, you're being a bit unfair to The Triffids' rerelease program. The box set is on the way to me too and I am happy with the price. Discs are very cheap to produce if they are done in a huge print run. But there are only 1000 box sets being made. There are no economies of scale on such a small print run. Anyway, the cost is mostly for the mastering of old tapes I imagine. I'm no fan of live albums either, and I'm kind of dreading disliking a lot of the box set for this reason, but I still wanted it. I doubt there is much of a profit margin on a box set run of 1000. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3472 Registered: 05-2005 |
Are the Echo & The Bunnymen concerts being billed as "no strings attached"? | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 3473 Registered: 05-2005 |
I agree with jeff's description, only to add, that there is a heavy classical style to their underbelly, Blaine Reininger and Steven Brown both classically trained, and, for me, that was what really made them special. Blaine and Steven solo albums are worth a listen too. I was fortunate in early noughties to have a Blaine instrumental given to me by the man himself to use to promote a compilation I put together in 2002 called maverick tendency on my oportor records label. The track was called Guido's theme and was a midi type bossa nova, really funny but brilliantly executed. The Batehrs, I think jerry kindly copied me everything they ever did a few years a go. I have been a fan since '87, and befroe that with Friends Again. Thoimspn is an excellent singer, very Bowie, Young Americans period, but there's much more depth top the man and his music than the Bowie refernce. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 3474 Registered: 05-2005 |
Oh, happy easter everyone! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2308 Registered: 03-2005 |
Happy Easter Spence! | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 627 Registered: 10-2008 |
Padraig, we'll have to agree to disagree. In the grand box set scheme of things Ł60 is a fair price for 10 CDs. However, when the bulk of the CDs are rough recordings or live recordings I'm afraid my rip off radar starts beeping. But I can see why an uber fan of a band might think shelling out the Ł60 is money well spent. I am also loathe to criticise Domino too much because I think they are the model that most if not all record labels should aspire to. As you say a lot of the cost would be for mastering old tapes, well they'd already done that for the rereleases last year so I wouldnt have thought the cost would have been too prohibitive for them to chuck in the studio albums to make it a really appealing package. But my names not Lawrence, and I dont run Domino so what do I know :-) On the Bunnymen gigs, I'm guessing there wont be strings cos there werent any on the first two albums, and Mac's boasting about how rock n roll these albums were so I guess they'll just be your standard gtr,bass,drums, with a little keyboard. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2309 Registered: 03-2005 |
Kevin, in the case of the Triffids they first released recordings on cassette. I should go research this before saying so, but I think they did something like 6 cassette albums the last of which date well into their period of "official" vinyl releases but still pre-"Treeless Plain." I recall reading somewhere that they were recorded on a Revox, which is a good machine. (The McComb family was never short of $$$AUS). While I don't dare anticipate the sound will be as good as The Sound's "Propaganda" which was recorded by Adrian Borland's father on a TEAC four track and is fabulous sounding, it's entirely possible that it will be that good. McComb was notoriously fussy about things from the very beginning and a Revox can make a nice recording. My thought is that the only sort of person who will buy the Triffids' early cassette-release recordings is the sort of obsessional person (me!) who has already purchased all the remastered albums and doesn't need redundant copies. I am really excited by the potential of this box. I'll let you know if it's a disappointment but obviously I'm hoping it won't be. I'm trying to be realistic about what to expect--that a lot of the early stuff will be as throwaway as "Stand Up" or "Reverie"--but I still figure there will be some gems in there. I think it's significant that the prime mover behind this is Graham Lee and he wasn't even in the band until 1984. I think he's pushing it because he believes this music deserves an airing. I can't imagine he's getting much out of it moneywise. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2310 Registered: 03-2005 |
And having mentioned "Propaganda" that's what I'm listening to now. It's a great butt-kicking record. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 628 Registered: 10-2008 |
Randy, fair comment regard the cassette albums. I didnt realise the potential for good quality, cos Domino arent exactly talking it up on the website blurb. Regarding the Sound. Topically enough I saw them back up The Bunnymen on the tour when they were promoting their second album Heaven Up Here. The Bunnymen probably played the first two albums that night, although obviously not in chronological order as they are just about to do. For the record, I had never heard of The Sound and was blown away by them. They were promoting Jeopardy and I rushed out and bought it next day. Became a big fan of them after that, the gigs promoting From The Lions Mouth the next year were incredible - such a powerful live band. Not the luckiest band ever, isnt another band member apart from Borland also dead? | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 152 Registered: 11-2007 |
Hi Randy, sent you two tuxedomoon examples of my rare best of album "New York - San Francisco". Love these songs "East Jinx" and "What Use"... | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 153 Registered: 11-2007 |
Tuxedomoon - "New York - San Francisco - The very best of" ...love it...wonderful record! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3473 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kevin, I was going to say what Randy said! Anyone buying the box set (eg me and Randy) already have all the other remastered albums, along with previous CD editions, vinyl and cassettes. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2311 Registered: 03-2005 |
Andreas, they haven't arrived. Have they been booted back to you by your email administrator? Yesterday I listened to the Field Mice' third and final album "For Keeps" as an earthquake centered down in Baja California jostled the house. It lasted so long I decided I'd better get up and turn off the stereo and the power strip feeding my digital recorder in case the power surged. It was a 7.2 and amazing something that far away could shake the house for as long as it did. It is quite clear that we are going to be trashed here in Los Angeles within the next few years and, Jeff, you face similar prospects. The Pacific plate is moving big time. Like the second album "For Keeps" has a few dull long numbers and in general I think the band was running out of inspiration. The added singles punch it up a bit. All in all I'd say about 75% of the Field Mice' output is pretty good, certainly a satisfactory score for a prolific but short-lived band. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2312 Registered: 03-2005 |
Meanwhile we are finally getting the rain we've been promised for over half a week. It's been years since we had a proper Spring Rain. Naturally I pulled out "Liberty Belle" which is playing right now. Too bad I forgot to put the coffee carafe in the coffee-maker before hitting the "on" switch and walking off to listen to Robert celebrate surprises. I got a surprise when I returned to the kitchen. Oops. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3475 Registered: 05-2005 |
That's incredible that the earthquake had such an effect so far from the epicentre Randy. We've been getting quite a bit of autumn rain here lately, thankfully. First rain in years for many parts of the country, lifting them out of draught. There's going to be a bumper everything harvest later come spring. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2313 Registered: 03-2005 |
Actually Padraig it's a little closer than I realized. The LA Times said the epicenter was something like 250 miles from Los Angeles. It happened pretty much on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. I came home to find a package from Redeye stuffed in my mail slot. First off to get my 60s fix I'm listening to a German CD dub-from-vinyl of two Bobby & Laurie LPs. This certainly isn't a Bear Family product--the insert was clearly printed on an ordinary color ink jet printer! Next up will be Dave Studdert's Mumbo Jumbo. Yes, that's Mr. Tactics to you. And then finally an official copy of Disaster Plan's third album "Recording: November 1999" complete with promotional leaflets somebody nicely left inside. This is my second order from this store for oddball Oz obscurities; the folks are going to get the idea there's a very homesick expat marooned in California. Unless they figure that no expat would care about these records. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 227 Registered: 03-2007 |
Randy, I am delighted to hear that you have managed to source an official copy of 'Recording: November 1999.' I am listening to it as I type. It is a wonderful album and the opening track ( Endless Negotiations ) is simply gorgeous. Regarding The Bathers, if you want any samples from the albums released on Marina Records then please feel free to get in touch. Next up will be 'Here Their Dreams' by Bombazine Black. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 629 Registered: 10-2008 |
are there many Aus ex-pats in the US, and vice versa? i wouldnt imagine so but this is a pure guess. certainly not compared to european or asian ex-pats. caribou - swim prince jammy productions - jammys from the roots rolling stones - let it bleed galaxie 500 - on fire. god, this is unlistenable rubbish that has badly aged imo. i notice it has been getting rave reviews, maybe these reviewers have a high threshhold for reedy, paper thin, tuneless vocals. i gather that nobody on here is too keen on this band either? nobody replied to my query last week about whether these albums were worth a listen. dean wareham went on to much better things with luna i guess. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1927 Registered: 10-2004 |
Kev, I've never been able to get the appeal of Galaxie 500. It's like totally hookless, dull, unmelodic guitar music played on an overdose of reds. I've tried at various times to revisit them and see if I suddenly "get it" now, but I always come away thinking the same thing. To be fair, they maybe have two songs that I think are okay (one of those being the first track on This Is Our Music), but that's it. I actually saw them live about 20 years ago when they opened for the Cocteau Twins, and they were boring then, too, but people were going apeshit over them. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2314 Registered: 03-2005 |
Kevin, never heard Galaxie's stuff as usual. I have a higher tolerance for tuneless than does Jeff but it has to be the RIGHT sort of tuneless. I think there are quite a few Aussie ex-pats in LA. All you have to do is look at who's big in the film biz now to verify that. Direct flights between LA and the three big eastern Oz cities are a snap. (Unless the crap economy has nipped that). Hugh, one of the inserts offers Disaster Plan for gigs alternatively as a duo, a trio or a six piece (with string section)! Now that's flexibility. It is a fine album and I swear the sound is a little warmer on the WOT disc than on the digital copy I made. Thanks for your offer re the Bathers. I have two Bathers CDs on their way to me. Let me listen to them first and decide how far I want to go. Andreas, thanks for the Tuxedomoon. It made it this time. Entertaining. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1928 Registered: 10-2004 |
Well, I'm not sure I could call Galaxie 500 tuneless, per se, because you can tell that they (and their fans) *think* that the music is tuneful. But how tuneful can you be when you just write songs that go d maj - a maj - g maj over and over again at half speed? | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2315 Registered: 03-2005 |
Ah! You don't mean tuneless, Jeff. You mean "Old McDonald." Apparently very slowly. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 653 Registered: 05-2005 |
I know we have a reputation for hard drinking Padraig but I didn't know we needed lifting out of draught!!! ;) | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3477 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kevin, I liked Galaxy 500's This Is Our Music a lot at the time. I had (still have somewhere) it on cassette, and subsequently bought a best of CD and a rarities comp. Your comments have put me off getting the re-releases though. I love Luna though. As for Americans in Australia, there are surprisingly many, especially around where I live. Two years ago three of the kids in my daughter's class had American parents (in each case both parents were American. There were also kids with parents from Germany, Switzerland, Japan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Sweden, England, Wales, France and Ireland. It was quite an international mix. More than half the class had at least one parent from abroad). The US mothers were collectively known as "the moms". Those three kids are still there, but there are four classes in her year so they are changed round every year. I think there is just one with American parents in her class this year. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3478 Registered: 05-2005 |
Well spotted Geoff! LOL. I'm blushing here! | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 154 Registered: 11-2007 |
@randy: yeah, this one took ages. First tried it from my office mail account but it didn't work. Yesterday I did it from my web.de account. you will get another one later | ||
| Andreas Severins Member Username: Andreas_severins Post Number: 155 Registered: 11-2007 |
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 670 Registered: 01-2006 |
Have loved Galaxie 500 for years, especially their first two albums. Rarely play the third one except for the Fouth Of July track. Have to admit that Luna were much better though. Currently listening to Broken Bells quite a lot, best thing I've heard this year. | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 258 Registered: 05-2005 |
Ultravox!- Ha! Ha! Ha! Modern Lovers- Rock'n'Roll with the Modern Lovers | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 261 Registered: 05-2005 |
I thought of the Kitchens Spence when I was at the Wild Beasts gig - the 1000 guitars on the moon effects- they were a great band | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 630 Registered: 10-2008 |
was intrigued by the disaster plan so downloaded a song called "turning left at the red sea", from the album "reality collectors one through twelve". sounded pretty good on first listen, a bit talking heads in the (almost non)chorus. anybody recommend this album? oh, and the only album that napster had by the bathers was "sweet deceit" from 2004 so i'm a bit wary given how recent it is. the first track has a tom waits-ish vocal, not the bowie-ish style that i and others here remember. not too impressed on first listen | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 228 Registered: 03-2007 |
Kev, I would certainly recommend 'Reality Correctors One Through Twelve.' The band released seven albums in a relatively short period of time ( 1996 - 2004? ) and the later albums ( of which the above is one ) are quite a bit different from the earlier releases. They are all excellent in their own way in my opinion. I can send you some tracks if you want. The Tom Waits-ish vocal sound runs through most of Chris Thomson's work with The Bathers. His style was totally different when he was in Friends Again and although it has been many years since I last heard it, I do not think the Waits-ish vocal sound was as pronounced on the first Bathers album ( Unusual Places To Die.) | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 229 Registered: 03-2007 |
Kevin, I think 'Sweet Deceit' was initially released in 1990 on Island Records as the follow up to 'Unusual Places To Die.' | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1931 Registered: 10-2004 |
Cathal Coughlan - Grand Necropolitan Such a powerful album! I never get sick of it. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 631 Registered: 10-2008 |
Hugh, I've now downloaded the remainder of Reality Collectors. Please send some other tracks, thanks The Bathers, I did think it sounded a bit "older" than 2004 but thats how Napster have billed it. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 230 Registered: 03-2007 |
Kevin, All Music also have 'Sweet Deceit' listed as a 2005 release with no mention that it originally saw the light of day back in 1990. I know Randy was disappointed when he discovered that Desire Regained by The Bathers contained re-recorded songs from earlier albums but you really do have to feel for Chris Thomson as the majority of his back catalogue is currently unavailable ( has been for some time ) and that situation is unlikely to change anytime soon. You probably need to empty your mailbox. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 632 Registered: 10-2008 |
hugh, yeah its 2005 that napster have as well, dunno how i misread it??!! i must say i'm really impressed with "reality collectors" even on first listen. my heart sunk a bit when i heard the first few chords of "age of consent" which i thought would be uncoverable but they pulled it off. you were unknowingly correct about needing to empty my mailbox. i never use this hotmail account anymore, 1154 emails waiting to be read!!!. i have updated my profile with my correct email address. thanks for the mp3s, i'll listen tomorrow. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2317 Registered: 03-2005 |
Jeff, my iPod tossed up a track from "Grand Necropolitan" this afternoon and I thought I'd lost access to all of those. (If I click on any of the names on my iTunes I get a message that the file cannot be found). It was great to hear. The Bathers' "Pandemonia" arrived yesterday. I confess to being a bit underwhelmed by it. The Tom Waits comparison seems more apt than the Bowie one, at least for that album. I'll give it another listen, of course, but I dunno. I also have "Kelvingrove Baby" coming my way. The reason I ordered the Bathers' CDs was because my iPod pitched up "If Love Could Last Forever" which I really liked but I know better than to extrapolate too much from liking one song. Kevin, a couple days ago I almost described Disaster Plan facetiously the same way you described Galaxie 500 as a reason you wouldn't like them. They're very very good but Richard Moffat's vocals are never going to be a strength. Typically for me I find that I like the earlier records a bit better than the last ones like "Reality Correctors" but in the case of DP they're all pretty good. It's not like they sold out for a major label deal or something. Like the Apartments, they're somebody whose material should be covered in the future by more attractive-sounding singers. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2319 Registered: 03-2005 |
And now I'm giving Dave Studdert's "Mumbo Jumbo" a second run. Oddly, this album makes me think of some of Dave Graney's more recent work except that it's more subtle in its humor. (Nobody accused Graney of subtlety). It's also kind of like Howard Devoto's solo album ("Jerky Versions") in that it sounds like a more house-trained version of the work done by the band that the artist is no longer associated with, but lacking the "band" sound and intensity. Worth having? Yes. There's an amusing new version of "Arthur Lee at the Houston Airport." | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 2320 Registered: 03-2005 |
I'm also amused at how the LP was sequenced to start with a track that has the least Studdert-screeching vocal, so much so you think he finally cured it. In fact you think "wow, he doesn't even sound the same." On the second track, you hear bits of the old Studdert. By the third track, he's reverted to form all the way. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3479 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Promise Ring - Wood/Water. I only got this because I had to return a disc I discovered to be snapped when I opened the CD case the other day. The shop had no further copies of the album I was returning so I got Wood/Water instead. It's good American indie. They get lumped in with the emo crowd, which is normally a no no for me, but this record is supposedly the one where they lost their emo fan base. That's OK with me. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1934 Registered: 10-2004 |
Randy, is that Studdert album worth checking out? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3485 Registered: 05-2005 |
Perry Keyes - Johnny Ray's Downtown | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3487 Registered: 05-2005 |
Disc 2 of the Triffids box set - early singles and EPs | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3491 Registered: 05-2005 |
Perry Keyes - Johnny Ray's Downtown | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 264 Registered: 05-2005 |
jonathan richman and the modern lovers - it's time for | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 265 Registered: 05-2005 |
also digging the new MGMT, i think it's called commercial suicide | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 231 Registered: 03-2007 |
Lali Puna - Our Inventions | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3493 Registered: 05-2005 |
Cosmo, they should have called their second album Under New MGMT. | ||
| peter ward Member Username: Peter_ward Post Number: 113 Registered: 06-2005 |
The Bathers _ Sweet Deceit album is my favourite of his, it's highly stylised and dramatic and a beautiful album in lots of ways. "The Honeysuckle Rose To Meet Me" is my favourite track. Chris Thompson's albums were available through a website based in Dundee I think Hugh? I sent Spence a disc of all the Bathers MP3s a while back and If unavailable still I can do the same if you were interested? I saw a poster advertising Chris Thompson supporting someone playing in Dublin about ten years ago now and missed the show by a few weeks, would love to have caught him. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 232 Registered: 03-2007 |
Peter, I thought I owned copies of all the albums released by The Bathers but when I checked my databases ( vinyl and c.d. ) recently I could not find any mention of Sweet Deceit. I am almost certain I own a copy and suspect that I have simply failed to index it. I picked up vinyl copies of the Friends Again EP and Trapped Unwrapped by Friends Again in 1984 and 'Unusual Places To Die' by The Bathers in 1987 and I think that if I do own a copy of 'Sweet Deceit' it will probably be on vinyl. I have copies of the Marina Records and Wrasse Records releases. Thank you for your kind offer. The Bathers website is www.thebathers.com James Grant ( ex Friends Again & Love and Money ) is performing at the City Halls, Glasgow, on 19th June, 2010 ( an evening of covers and nostalgia featuring special guests ) and apparently there will be an acoustic Friends Again reunion at the show. Currently listening to Phone Calls by The Shivers. | ||
| peter ward Member Username: Peter_ward Post Number: 115 Registered: 06-2005 |
Thanks for the link Hugh, I see there's a full length concert video streamed on there. Are you going to the Glasgow show? Have you ever listened to another hidden gem scottish band called My Latest Novel? Link to a tune below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4AqxgNKC 9U | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 233 Registered: 03-2007 |
Peter, I have no plans to attend at the moment but that could change in time. I was never a fan of Love and Money but I heard some of James Grant's solo stuff recently and I plan on purchasing one or two of his albums in the near future. If I like what I hear I may pop along on the night. I usually keep an eye on the Scottish scene ( recent purchases include Aereogramme; Unwinding Hours; Frightened Rabbit ) but I have to admit that I had never heard of My Latest Novel until you mentioned them. I checked out a few videos on YouTube this afternoon, liked what I heard and have placed an order for both albums. Thank you for the recommendation. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 637 Registered: 10-2008 |
Peter/Hugh. My Latest Novel. I was intrigued by this because the name rang a bell, albeit very vaguely. Did a search and found this. I'll never make a critic!! ---------------------------------------- ---------- Author Message Wilson Davey Member Username: Wilson Post Number: 54 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Friday, March 17, 2006 - 07:04 pm: I am buying this CD on the strong of just one song I have heard called "Pretty in a Panic". Anyone else into this band, they have been labelled as a Belle & Sebastian type band but there's someting in the out of kilter drumming that reminds me of early James songs.... kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 160 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Friday, March 17, 2006 - 07:20 pm: heard this album a few times Wilson. cant make up my mind about it really, lots of violins and fey vocals. not in the same league as B&S. had lots of favourable reviews - i'd mark it 6.5 out of 10 | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 234 Registered: 03-2007 |
Kevin, I am guessing from the date that you were referring to the debut album ( Wolves.) I listened to 'All In All In All Is All' and 'I Declare A Ceasefire' from Deaths & Entrances and nothing I heard made me think of Belle & Sebastian. | ||
| peter ward Member Username: Peter_ward Post Number: 116 Registered: 06-2005 |
Johnny Cigarettes would have been shaking in his boots had he read your review above Kevin;) "Please put down your guns, lower your weapons, Oh I declare a change of heart" The 2nd one is at least a 6.5 too! | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 655 Registered: 05-2005 |
Broken Bells - good Again - very good Isidore - classic. Ride favourites. Live Light - never saw them on that tour - a nice At the End of the Universe. Unseen music Unheard words (I'm early Hugh!)- seems good on a couple of listens. More "conventional" than Isidore. Forget Yourself 5.1 - nice use of the back speakers unlike a lot of 5.1's I've heard. Seems to be a differnt mix too. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 3497 Registered: 05-2005 |
Geoff, there's a free Broken Bells EP download from myspace here http://www.myspace.com/transmissions | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 235 Registered: 03-2007 |
Geoff, Martin Kennedy is currently putting the finishing touches to the second Kilbey/Kennedy album. You can listen to a pre-mastered version of a song from it on their website. http://www.kilbey-kennedy.com/search/lab el/The%20Broken%20Sea | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 657 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thanks guys. Kevin, I would read no further as you will become violently ill..... The new Crowded House album is out in June. The first single, "Saturday Sun" can be downloaded here. http://is.gd/byOEP It was part of a deal for reading a paper. I don't think it's a winner yet - certainly not as immediate as even the last Finn Brothers album. As per usual, I think my favourite bands should ask ME what to put out as a single! |