What you been listening to this week? (4 Viewers)

[Mormon Nailer]

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[Diumraid]

Amon Duul II: 'Phallus Dei', 'Made in Germany' (I find most ADII stuff very hit and miss - mostly miss, I'm back to these to try and wring some good out of them, 'Phallus Dei' at least is hairy and freaky but 'Made in Germany' sounds like the soundtrack to a Mel Brooks farce about German prog cabaret ... hmm I've probably oversold it despite myself)

Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath: S/T (kind of a sonic missing link between Mingus' Big Band and Fela Kuti, solos sound like Coltrane, piano like McCoy Tyner's Afro-centric solo work. Excellent!)

 

[Cryptid]

Last 12:

1. Felt - Forever Breathes the Lonely Word (1986). - An absolute classic. Maybe I should entertain / The very fact that I'm insane.
2. The Harvest Ministers - You Do My World The World Of Good (1992). - Single b/w Petticoats. Very good, "it was a cold an uneventful day / there was no-ting much to do or say".
3. Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking (1969). Mostly Dylan covers, fantastic album with Sandy Denny's otherworldly voice at it's centre. Her 'Who Know's Where The Time Goes' is great.
4. Helvetia - The Acrobats (2008). Some sublime stuff, some crap. Has the song 'Old New Bicycle' which is class.
5. Ellen Allien - Berlinette (2003). Along with Bjork's Homogenic, this is this best album I've found this year. Musique non-stop, techno pop, industrial rhythms all around etc.
6. Cass McCombs - Humor Risk (2011). Not as good as Wit's End. A couple of really duff tracks towards the end. It's all quite good apart from that. No County Line I dont' think.
7. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That (2006). Probably Phoenix's (sic?) best album. Quite good, but not as good as I remember it.
8. Weezer Blue Album. I've only given it one listen, I know the singles from back in the day. Not sure if there's much else on it.
9. Dungen - 4 (2008). Love this, very underrated. Great driving album.
10. Elvis Presley - From Elvis In Memphis (1969). The best album from Elvis I've heard. The arrangements are much more lush than on his hey-day stuff and it's almost country-lounge in places. But it definitely works and the choice of tunes is top notch - True Love Travels On A Gravel Road, Gentle On My Mind, Only The Strong Survive and so on and so forth in that manner.
11. Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg (1988). Just class. Lisa Gerrard's singing is mind boggling, the arrangements are cathedral sized and Perry's songs are great - e.g. Severance.
12. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985). I've only given this one listen, but it sounds very good. Seedy, without the caricture bombast of the later stuff.

God, that was a bigger undertaking than I had first envisaged.

 

[rettucs]

what are you reckoning? I think its nice but I think I wish it was a little livelier. But theres a couple of songs where you feel Zooey just isn't putting her all into it.

 

[pete]

some bits of the album are deadly like their performance on Jay Leno, some bits are unfortunately like their performance on Ellen.

but i'm going to listen to it loads over the christmas anyway.

 

[Cryptid]

some bits of the album are deadly like their performance on Jay Leno, some bits are unfortunately like their performance on Ellen.

but i'm going to listen to it loads over the christmas anyway.

According to the humourless twats over at pitchfork this is quite good:

Might be a good one for the old chestnuts roasting on the open fire.

 

[Jim Daniels]

some bits of the album are deadly like their performance on Jay Leno, some bits are unfortunately like their performance on Ellen.

but i'm going to listen to it loads over the christmas anyway.

I like the quietness of it. It will be pleasant after a 2 hour meal. Sleigh Ride was never going to sound as good as this....

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[washingcattle]

1. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985). I've only given this one listen, but it sounds very good. Seedy, without the caricture bombast of the later stuff.

God, that was a bigger undertaking than I had first envisaged.

For follow up listening I reccomend

Doc at the Radar Station.

I've been listening to it this week and now I'm going to listen to Rain Dogs.

Kieth Richards Guitar on it is amazing.

 

[rettucs]

According to the humourless twats over at pitchfork this is quite good:

Might be a good one for the old chestnuts roasting on the open fire.

Its not great I don't think. 'Christmastime is here' is a great song but theres little else to recommend this. IMO

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

Giuda-racey roller lp
Lemonheads-hate your friends lp
Lemonheads-creator lp
Grand Prix-samuri lp
Pentagram-if the winds would change lp
Jaguar-opening the enclosure of lp
Records-teenerama 7"
Burnt Cross/Cress-split 7"
Familia Real-destruye 7"

 

[Diumraid]

Uriah Heep: 'Very 'eavy ... Very 'umble' (early Brit heaviosity)

Les Rallizes Denudes: 'Heavier than a death in the family' / 'Blind baby has its mother's eyes' (haunted noise garage from Japrock - amazing)

High Tide: 'Sea shanties' (more early Brit heaviosity w Simon House later of Hawkwind)

James Blackshaw: 'Lost prayers and motionless dances' (I don't care much for this school of latterday Robbie Bashos churning out their displaced ragas and drones but this gets very weird and static about halfway through and hit me sweetly)

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

Dr Feelgood-down by the jetty lp
Overkill-taking over lp
Def Leppard-pyromania lp
Sanctum-on the horizon lp
Misfits-legacy of brutality lp
The Damned-new rose 12"
The Damned-there ain't no sanity clause 12"

 

[Cryptid]

My Bloody Valentine - Sunny Sundae Smile (EP) (1987).- MBV's indie pop side before they went all hardcore for Isn't Anything. I do like this EP.
Tricky - Maxinquaye (1995). Never really got this. Some interesting stuff on it. Never noticed him singing Japan's Ghosts at the end of Aftermath before.
Roxy Music - Avalon (1982). A guitly pleasure I suppose. Great album in a totally safe soft rock kind of way.
The Smiths - The World Won't Listen (1987). First half of this is really good. 2nd half has Money Changes Everything (aka 'The Right Stuff'), Unloveable and other lesser Golden Lights.
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (1974). Classic. The best Wyatt album I've heard. The melody on Sea Song is really unusual and imaginative. The lyrics on this album are really great too ('When you're drunk you're terrific/.... But I can't understand the different you in the morning/When it's time to play at being human for a while').
Vampire Weekend S/T (2008). Only given it one listen so far but it sounds like horrible shit. 3rd hand cultral misappropriation and upper middle class snootyness abounds.
Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000). I didn't listen to this album for a few years but I've listened to it three or four times over the last year and I'm liking it more and more. Cowboy Dan is immense, as is Stars Are Projectors. In fact there's not really a bad tune on it.
Various Artists - Before The Blues - The Early American Black Music Scene, Vol. 1 (1996). This sounds like a lesser, abridged version of Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music. It's interesting for a couple of listens, but doesn't really work as a coherent compilation album.
Red House Painters ST 2 (aka 'Bridge'/'Japanese Gardens'). Possibly my favorite RHP album. Evil, Bubble, Uncle Joe ('the after late-night television pain'), an awesome take on I Am A Rock - it just doesn't have any weak spots and it sounds cohesive, maybe unlike it's sprawling but also great predecessor of the same name.
Isaac Hayes - Shaft (1971). Poppier than Hot Buttered Soul with only Do Your Thing clocking in at over ten minutes, it's an excellent concept soul album/ original sound track. The order of the tracks is spot on too.
Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen (1985). Must be one of the best albums of all time. Side one includes Bonny, Appetite and When Love Breaks Down, three of the best pop songs ever. The production is top class and the musicianship is unerring, especially given the complicated nature of the stuff. My brother has From Langely Park To Memphis and I listened to that over the Christmas - it's nearly as good i think. Hadn't heard it in years. I forgot to rob it off him though - ouch.
Bob Dylan - The Basement Tapes (1975). I got about half way into this and couldn't take it any longer. It's one for the purists I think, and fans of The Band. Dylan has some great albums (John Wesley Harding and Blood On The Tracks are my favorites) but there's an awful lot of over-rated shite from him out there too. And he sucks ass live.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

Rage-nice'n'dirty lp
The Hidden Hand/Wooly Mammoth-split lp
The Black Halos-the violent years lp
Unseen Terror-human error lp
Torme-back to babylon lp
Victims Family-white bread blues lp
The Vectors-still ill lp
Declino-come una promessa lp
Stupids-bbc sessions lp
Dolly Mixture-remember this lp
Gasmask Terror-architects of death 7"
Slang/Mind Eraser 7"
DxIxE/Realized-split 7"
DxIxE/Ruido De Odio-split 7"

 

[Goodbye]

See below

 

[dunderhead]

Polyfonia by Apparat Organ Quartethave this album since Christmas. not over listening to it by any means. about five or six times since I got it.Great one to dip into every so often. johann johannsson's 'more fun' side project.four lads playing synths with live pounding drums and vocoder vocals. Yeah, that description wouldn't sell it to me too well either seeing as how much crud is out there selling themselves with that kind of description but reckon this is a cut above. some great melodic moments on this and some fantastic grooves. Really fun listen.

 

[mel gibson]

http://jaredrubosoandtheflightsoffancy.bandcamp.com/

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

Passion Killers-they kill our passion...lp
Blyth Power-a little touch of harry in the night lp
Oi Polloi/Nikmat Olalim-split lp
Redd Kross-neurotica lp
Victim-all our dreams are gone lp
The Rods-wild dogs lp
Avskum-folk som har sanger kan inte do 7"
Jackshit-hicktown 7"
Jump Off A Building-bird watching in new zealand 7"
Vice Squad-living on dreams 7"
Wat Tyler/Freaks Union-split 7"
Severed Head Of State-fucking butchery 7"
Out Cold/No Side-split 7"
Legitimate Reason-7"
Von Ryan Express-up on the block 7"

 

[coast to coast]

I just listened to Lying In A Deathbed by Jape for the first time in a while
Seeing him sing that at Cass McCombs was one of the highlights of last year.
Can't fathom why it wasn't put on his album

 

[Unknown Convict]

since seeing the slint film:
slint - tweez/spiderland
breeders - pod
squirrel bait - skag heaven
bastro - diablo guapo/sing the troubled beast
gastr del sol - serpentine similar
maurice - the first shall be last
seam - the problem with me
bedhead - what fun life was
the for carnation - flight songs