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Short Review Diary ‑ Music and other Audio

Table of Contents

What I listen to & want to share online.

Nina Hagen in Ekstase-up-

Ich bin die Mutter des Punk - na Gott sei Dank!

Cardiacs II-up-

Cardiacs
I wrote about them before... never actually saw them, but have been listening to this album up and down for years. I wish I'd been woke enough back then to see them live...

Here's a sort of live recording of an old farts get-together decades later - not bad at all!

Godtet-up-

https://godtet.bandcamp.com/album/iii
Very nice. Listenable, but with rough edges. Analog, but with synthesizers. Improvised, but not jazz. I love this sort of music.

NTS Live-up-

I talked about NTS before. A bit like good ol' hhh here, they have lots of changing DJs making a program for an hour or two.
That's hit and miss if you listen to the 2 "live" stations.
However, they also have the Infinite Mixtapes which are essentially their own radio stations.
It seems like all contributions to the 2 main stations are categorized, and re-broadcast end-to-end, without talking.
I also get the impression that they sorted out the truly unlistenable ones.
And I have not yet experienced the playlist repeating, like it can happen on e.g. soma.fm.
One of the best was - surprising for me - Memory Lane with (mostly) 60s & 70s music.
Also hip hop & rap on Word...Life - esp. when it focuses on British stuff.

In a nutshell, the Infinite Mixtapes are better than the actual radio stations.

The Bug - F**k You-up-

I am not entirely convinced that Orange is the new Black is as good as the critics say, but it does offer what I feel is an honest insight into various US American cultures.
The end credits song often underlines this; e.g.:
The Bug - F**k You (feat. Warrior Queen) Unique & powerful.

Aphex Twin 85-92-up-

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85–92
I used to listen to this quite a lot, years back, then I lost it. Now I got it back and realised how much I'd missed it. Listening end to end the 3rd time in a row now.
Quenching a thirst I hadn't even known I had.

The Beths-up-

Been listening to Bagel Radio again, there's a particular good stretch happening right now.

Then this one popped up:

The Beths - "I'm Not Getting Excited" (official music video) F*cking great piece of noise pop. From 2020, not the 80s or 90s. There's something incredibly, effortlessly skilful about her voice counteracting with the lead guitar.

The video, btw, is a nod to their musical heritage of NZ indie pop of the 80s, e.g. Tall Dwarfs | Nothings Going To Happen...

And another instant classic on Bagel Radio: "Psychonaut" Music Video by mr. Gnome

Westworld / Siouxsie-up-

This just smacks of old men drooling over a pretty young woman who knows how to play their favorites... Yuck.

Me, I'm watching the 3rd season of Westworld and noticed a peculiar connection to my musical world...

I always like a heroine breaking free of her male oppressors, taking full, violent and precise revenge on them. It gives me pleasure.

This is a strong theme throughout Westworld (the new series; can't speak to the old movie or the books). Conrasting with an opulent era backdrop. Another strong theme is, of course, the puppets revolting against their masters. I like the hi-tech hi-fidelity incarnation of Westworld, but this is a much older theme.

I found hints of all this in Siouxsie & the Banshees Juju album, particularly these two songs:

Arabian Knights (against the male opressor)

I heard a rumour
It was just a rumour
I heard a rumour
What have you done to her?

A tourist oasis
Reflects in seedy sunshades
A monstrous oil tanker
Its wound bleeding in seas

Veiled behind screens
Kept as your baby machine
Whilst you conquer more orifices
Of boys, goats and things
Ripped out sheep's eyes
No forks or knives

Myriad lights
They said I'd be impressed
Arabian Knights
At your primitive best

and

Monitor (puppets break free, resenting violence for entertainment)

Monitor outside
For the people inside
A prevention of crime
A passing of time

They come and they go
It's a passing of time
They come and they go
Whilst we sit in our homes

Sit back and enjoy
The real McCoy
Our new air of authority
Our sentinel of misery

His face was full of intent
And we shook with excitement
Then the victim stared up
Looked strangely at the screen
As if her pain was our fault
But that's entertainment
What we crave for inside
No more second rate movies
From those people outside

Those two songs describe the story & athmosphere of Westworld so well, I'm almost sure Siouxsie must've been inspired by it (the first movie or the books).

Musically, her angry ecstasy reflects in the band's intensity - both songs take a step up around the middle, which always gives me shivers. Yes, Siouxsie, shout it out! Show them your contempt! We're with you!

Last but not least, John McGeoch's guitar playing is outstanding, extraordinary, melodic and noisy...

Ultra Bra, Liekki-up-

Been ripping some CDs, which also made me listen more. Some Finnish stuff:
Ultra Bra - Savanni nukahtaa
Liekki - Kun kattojen ylle löi

J.K.Ihalainen-up-

J.K.Ihalainen / Sándor Vály - Laiminlyödyn maailman todistus - Remix
It's not much if you don't understand the words. Ihalainen is great. Grumpy, both funny and deeply touching. Unique.

Something made me think about humour in music; in the words, but also in the music itself. Some music is like that, it wants to make me laugh out loud.
Attwenger - Most - H.E. zaum
Mahala Rai Banda - Tu Romnie

No, that's joy. Seems to blend with humour sometimes.
But then what about the Smiths? Morrissey's rant & Johnny Marr's guitar are a perfect combination, makes me LOL, literally.
There's even a song that explains it.

Malaria!-up-

Malaria! - Kaltes Klares Wasser
Malaria: Your Turn to Run
One of those bands that are not easy to find online, or digital.

Youtube channel.

I know Gudrun Gut did more good stuff later.
Wir bauen eine neue Stadt
Unfortunately there's a very stupid tendency to sing the lyrics in German once, then in English once. :(

Underworld / Young Gods-up-

There seems to be tons of different mixes of Underworld's largely similar hits (but always way longer than the usual 3 to 4 minutes), and I don't think I found the ones I remember best... trying again...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feWNvGpWHLM --- Underworld - Cowgirl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Y7lcvubhU --- Underworld - Rez
Yes, that's much closer.
They're not the best band ever, but I like how their tracks aren't structured like songs but more like long psychedelic drones, kinda pink-floydish or actual techno tracks...

Young Gods are binary for me. Some stuff is "meh" and others are "Awww yeah!!!" but I listened to the whole album so the rushes were more than worth the doldrums.

...something similar goes for Young Gods, or actually the long last track that completely spans the album's B-side.
I forgot to mention that, so I'm glad you had the patience to listen through the slightly cheesy (wannabe Jim Morrison?) other tracks.
Anyhow, that's definitely pink-floydish, having one side with "normal" songs and one epic spanning the other side.

PS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3DnwFFSucs --- The Prodigy - Out of Space
PPS: the original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycnG1E9wfX0 --- Max Romeo - Out of Space
Glorious.

Peggy Gou-up-

Peggy Gou - It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)
A perfect little piece of House/Techno-Pop.
Cultural influences, rhythms and grooves from all over the globe.

Young Marble Giants-up-

young marble giants - choci loni

Genius. Thanks for sharing, this is just up my alley.

Circle of Live-up-

https://circleoflive.bandcamp.com/track/live-at-a-rodrome-melun-villaroche-2019

I like this very much. Second listening.
It fizzles and crackles in just the right way.
My ears tell me that it combines contemporary electronic music with "retro" electronic music.

Ideal-up-

Ideal have been one of my secret favorites for a long while.
One has to know the phenomenon called Neue Deutsche Welle and its continuing popularity to understand why this is slightly embarassing to me.

Anyhow, whenever I listen to them I am amazed at how good they are as a band, how great & emancipated a singer Annette Humpe is and how deep her angry/sad lyrics really cut. I have a (rare) vinyl of BiNuu (their dying swan masterpiece, despite the silly dub/noise interludes in every song), but recently I tried their second Album Der Ernst des Lebens and am, still, amazed.
The opener Eiszeit is great (and was a hit back in the day), but one has to look beyond that, maybe a song like Feuerzeug should be mentioned.

Scald-up-

Funnily enough, I was listening to some Melodic Metal (if that's how you call it) and was surprised how much I enjoyed listening to Scald - Will Of The Gods Is Great Power (1996).

Angels of Light-up-

I used to listen to Angels of Light, very much.
Apparently that had some influence on Swans' later output.

Rogan: Snowden-up-

Joe Rogan Experience -Edward Snowden
Of course I know who Edward Snowden is, but I never bothered actually listening to him. Now I find out that he's very gifted with words, a storyteller. This is a joy to listen to, all 2+ hours of it.
I also find his opinions very sane and balanced. I'm really convinced by his character.

Ocasio-Cortez vs. Zuckerberg-up-

'So you won't take down lies?': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenges Facebook CEO
No worries, it's only 5min.
Nice to see him flapping and gasping like a fish out of water. That's also how slippery he is.

Carla dal Forno-up-

https://carladalforno.bandcamp.com/album/look-up-sharp

Beautiful. Also checking out her older albums.

Joose Keskitalo-up-

Joose Keskitalo - Kaupungit Puristuvat Puristimissa
edit: actually I like this one much better - but the photo chosen is a bit weird.

Trippy Metal-up-

One of my current favs in the Black Metal scene, Oranssi Pazuzu. Trippy, psychedelic Black Metal.

This is very enjoyable music (several full albums on YT).
I have been clicking on your recommendations every now and then.
But I have one huge problem with Metal in general:
I don't understand the appeal of this particular way of vocalising. I cannot even call it a style. It makes no sense to me.
I understand wanting to express one's aggressive/negative/dark/etc. emotions in an appropriate way - just like with the instruments - but this bellowing just sounds like kids playing dinosaur to me. Every time, it spoils the overall impression of the music.

As examples of how one can express these aggressive/negative/dark/etc. emotions without resorting to dinosaur-like bellowing, there's this and this and the Pixies etc.
Here's another example of how that type of music can sound with a different voice. Is it Metal? Arguably, it is.

4 Non Blondes-up-

4 Non Blondes

Oh, it's been too long.
Still a beautiful song. The best possible version of a "1 hit wonder".
I still remember when every radio station had this on at least once a day - for months on end...

I also liked Tanita Tikaram - such a different kind of female singer/songwriter.
From this era of less restrictive gender roles (think about it: Sinéad O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Prince...) onwards, it seems popular culture has developed in the wrong direction.

edit:
I'm not saying that good things haven't been happening between then and now.

Debora Ipekel-up-

https://soundcloud.com/dkmntl/dekmantel-podcast-244-debora-ipekel

The first 10 minutes were hard to get through.
But then, absolutely amazing (actual I still have ~45% left to listen).
Grooves so rare you'll probably never get another chance to hear them. No track listing unfortunately.

Arvo Pärt-up-

Arvo Part - Fur Alina 1976

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmBrepbZji0

Arvo Pärt - Fratres
Arvo Pärt - Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel

;-)

Brutus-up-

Brutus "War" (Live at Rain City)
BRUTUS - DRIVE

Holy F*ck, I like this music.

Jännerwein II-up-

https://heathenharvest.org/2015/10/15/jannerwein-eine-hoffnung/

That is a really nice review. The author has put into words the things I failed to - a curated excerpt:

You don’t love music now as much as you did at fifteen and there’s nothing you can do about it. In the course of life, something changes the wholly engaged, emotional way of listening of our youth into the “I just have this on for background noise” of now. I’m not suggesting that it’s impossible to enjoy music past a certain age; only that the way we enjoy it changes, and music becomes less our whole world than a part of it.
After giving Eine Hoffnung an initial play, all I could think about was finding time to hear it again.
It’s the rare sort of album that’s emotionally all-encompassing, that manages to root out that fifteen-year-old music lover from the morass of mortgages, staff meetings, and the feeling that nothing is very special anymore.
Eine Hoffnung is incredibly full, swelling with string arrangements and sehnsucht. Though Jännerwein have touched on themes of time, age, and the passing of youth on previous releases, it’s not just the lyrics but the melodies themselves that evoke that particular sense of loss and longing.

I would add:
The parts and genres this is made of do not convince me, but the whole does.

Jännerwein I-up-

Jännerwein - Eine Hoffnung

3 songs in, I still like it - strangely.
Wish I was a music critic and could put it in words.

Black Midi-up-

New from Black Midi... live they are like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAq1zGLlSM

What was this recording done on, a cell phone through a tunnel?

There's a KEXP Live performance, better quality.

it's got a good beat but [s]you[/s] hhh can't dance to it.

speak for yourself.
I could go wild on this for an hour. I would.
I love complex music.

There's also this. Is that really Damo Suzuki? I think it is. Epic.

Tour dates.

New from Black Midi (the band, not the genre): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86NGJmUfRlM

Edit: live they are like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAq1zGLlSM

F*ck, this is good.
Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if they'll ever come to my neck of the woods?

Karoli / Eltes-up-

Michael Karoli & Polly Eltes – One Thing (Or The Other)
(Is that a banjo?)

J-Zbel-up-

https://soundcloud.com/dkmntl/dekmantel-podcast-234-j-zbel

At first I was, like, WTF?
Then I was like: hmmm, interesting.
Finally I was like: WOW, this rocks in so many ways!

Joe Frank etc.-up-

Last time I visited Florida, I played this for my best friends and they absolutely hated it and gave me infinite crap for liking it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVJub2dvgaE

reminds me of Joe Frank. Here's just one representative of his Oevre.

José González-up-

José González - In Our Nature

Sisters of Mercy, more 80s-up-

You're losing me with Sisters of Mercy, that sounds very Brit new-wave to me...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-RVJyNpfDk

I was refering to earlier stuff:
SISTER of MERCY - Marian
But even so, I admit it's a stretch and many people won't be able to listen beyond the drum machine.
But then again, I can definitely hear "Don't fear The Reaper" following that song on a mix tape... :D

Smiths, Johny Marr, yes, absolutely amazing, almost all of it.
(And bone-headed Morrissey does have his own charm...)

Beyond that, thanks for mentioning (early) U2, definitely part of what I was getting at, also The Police and Cocteau Twins!

Come to think of it, it's not just the guitar sound but also the style of singing which I think wasn't very common in the 70s but became very pregnant in the 80s (let's call it melodic male voices for lack of a better description).

Blue Öyster Cult-up-

Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper

After all this years i still love it

That is a masterpiece, historically unique.
Listening to it & knowing how old it is was a revalation for me.
It predates the sound I liked to listen to in the 90s by at least 10 years.
OK, that's complicated: I liked to listen to guitarry late 80s stuff in the 90s - think Sister of Mercy, Smith's etc. (*) - and Don't Fear the Reaper is like a blueprint for that sound, and predates the typical bands by 10 years.

(*) I know the history books cite other, very different bands as being influenced by them, but there's a very particular guitar/band sound emerging in that time, and Don't fear the Reaper is the blueprint for that, historically.
Another kindof obvious example is The Cult.

King Crimson-up-

Must watch, King Krimson live on TV, late 1981. Brufird, Belew, Levin and Fripp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQrlDzqUCA

Double talk.

Elephant Talk.

That was amazing!

And how young they still were. I was lucky to have seen them twice ~15years later.

Reminds me of figure skating:
doing these extremely complex movements that required months of hard training, in beautiful clothes, without breaking a sweat, a smile on your face. Making it look effortless.

The Necks II-up-

scrap my last one; I think this is better:
The Necks - Aether

yesterday i listened to much more while working - it's mesmerising:
https://thenecksau.bandcamp.com/

The Necks I-up-

The Necks - Mosquito

Joe Frank-up-

Joe Frank
can't believe I didn't know about him!
great stuff.
dreamlike, utterly subversive stories with a distinct radio style.
There's some free stuff for download here. I started with the oldest.

Stereolab-up-

Stereolab - Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements
https://s3.amazonaws.com/delivery.midheaven.com/t/122359/images/8525450030730_main.jpg

Minimalistic Stuff-up-

catching up on all the minimalistic stuff posted recently...
https://soundcloud.com/mindgameslaby/so-the-labyrinth-2018
[1996] Laurent Garnier - Laboratoire Mix - Mix One
A-Brothers | Dark Beat Factory 025
https://francisharris.bandcamp.com/album/trivial-occupations

What's a good singer-up-

From what I can gather their assessment is not just made on keeping in key and on time - strength of voice etc, it is about the pronouncement of words and the flair of voice and a ton of quantifiable parameters etc -

I prefer the less quantifiable parameters in a great singer:
Holcombe Waller - Bored of Memory
Anna Von Hausswolff, "Funeral For My Future Children" - NPR Music Field Recordings
I also passionately believe in the unity of writer/composer and performer. the singer and the song. i'd listen to much more classical music if it didn't separate that...

The Cure-up-

Nostalgia...

I used to be a Cure fan. Yes, all the emotional, "deep" and whiny stuff. undulating basslines (I thought that's why the style was called "Wave"), all their 80s material up until Disintegration. I won't bore you with it.

But their first album was a little different, much closer to the Punk they no doubt were influenced by, more minimalistic, political even.

Now the problem is if I search their first album, I get this track listing:

  1. "10:15 Saturday Night" 3:42
  2. "Accuracy" 2:17
  3. "Grinding Halt" 2:49
  4. "Another Day" 3:44
  5. "Object" 3:03
  6. "Subway Song" 2:00
    Side B
    No. Title Writer(s) Length
  7. "Foxy Lady" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover) Jimi Hendrix 2:29
  8. "Meathook" 2:17
  9. "So What" 2:37
  10. "Fire in Cairo" 3:23
  11. "It's Not You" 2:49
  12. "Three Imaginary Boys" 3:17
  13. "The Weedy Burton" 1:04

half of it is, frankly, crap, and putting "10.15 Saturday night" as opener is suicide (pun intended).
And, most importantly, it is not what I listened to when I used to listen to their first album.

So I decided to research and found out:
The Cure were of my opinion about this, and when they released their first album a little later in the USA it was very different, and that was the one I am familiar with!
It's called "Boys Don't Cry":

  1. "Boys Don't Cry" 2:37
  2. "Plastic Passion" 2:15
  3. "10:15 Saturday Night" 3:40
  4. "Accuracy" 2:16
  5. "Object" 3:03
  6. "Jumping Someone Else's Train" 2:58
  7. "Subway Song" 1:54
    Side B
    No. Title Length
  8. "Killing an Arab" 2:22
  9. "Fire in Cairo" 3:21
  10. "Another Day" 3:43
  11. "Grinding Halt" 2:49
  12. "World War" 2:36
  13. "Three Imaginary Boys"

these are the tracks I remember.

Why am I telling you this?
Because some of the best of their early stuff is on this album but not on the other one.
Most notably:

Jumping Someone Else's Train
a track that still sounds very relevant almost 40 years later, social media etc...

Plastic Passion
the minimalism!

Killing An Arab
the minimalism! the title is jarring but i'm pretty sure they meant nothing like that, 20 years before 9/11... i was told it has something to do with Existentialism and Sartre...

also check out "World War", and of course some tracks found on both albums are also really good: Fire in Cairo, Accuracy, Object, Grinding Halt...

Sleaford Mods, Idles-up-

I have been listening to them since about 2015, I think. It only occurred to me today they might have a wikipedia page. I was very surprised to learn that Williamson "had also worked as a session musician with local artists as well as Spiritualized and Bent"... I mean wow they put out such an image like they got there by accident and that they are rubbish at music etc, but in reality they are both accomplished musicians and producers. I think you can tell from their music they arent exactly failures at it but I tend to believe what musicians say so I believed their hype I guess. I honestly thought they must have fumbled their way to acclaim. I should have learnt my lesson from the sex pistols - never believe musicians when they say they cant play but get to the top anyway

"never believe musicians"?
"believed their hype"?
i think you misunderstand.
disillusion is a good thing i guess, but from that wikipedia article i don't get the impression that Sleaford Mods were trying to dupe you into anything, or let's say: the fact that he played some sessions with another "criitically acclaimed" band doesn't make what he's doing now less authentic, imo.

The Idles - Great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CzNOD7ukMA

ah, Idles (not the).
I used to listen to their previous (first?) album for a while (after first hearing them on Bagel Radio!). Very nice, but this newer stuff is a little too rock'n'roll-y for me.

what do these two have in common?
for me it's the age of the musicians.
i'm so glad these days one doesn't have to be young & beautiful anymore to have something sing about.

Sleaford Mods-up-

I just cannot stop listening to this today
Kebab Spider by the Sleaford Mods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uN3n-NjLHc
from their album that is out in February

I honestly wish I could write poetry that great

i think Williamson would not like to hear that.
"The smell of piss is so strong it smells like decent bacon" - great poetry indeed ;)

This is the track that got me absolutely addicted to them
they are British to f...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFFWF1DnZKM

trash to the extreme, turned into an artform, both words and sound. but no lo-fi nostalgia, just what is available in real life in the 2010s.
i think they even started out as a real band but simply couldn't play well enough :D

i like how Williamson reacted to getting somewhat famous ("acclaimed by critics"): he immediately started spitting bile about that, instead of trying to ignore how things have changed for him and continuing some sort of working class nostalgia.
mind you, one simply cannot make a lot of money with this style, never ever.

I thought you might like them.
I already posted them twice in this thread, nobody ever reacted, which is understandable i guess.

Czukay-up-

Love Holger Czukay's "Movies".

here's my favorite:
Holger Czukay "Blessed Easter"
Wobble & Czukay & Liebezeit, John Paul II, nuns and Buddhist monks...
well done.

And Jaki Liebezeit's drumming with Can (like on the clip you posted) always sounds fantastic, though I don't know any of his later work.

try these:
Holger Czukay, Jah Wobble, Jaki Liebezeit - How Much Are They?
Eurythmics - English Summer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaki_Liebezeit
(I didn't even know he worked with Depeche Mode)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaki_Liebezeit
And I didn't know he died. I'm sad now.

Is that his real surname? Loving Time seems so appropriate for a drummer.

this never occured to me, but to me (German) it sounds a fairly normal surname.
and suitable, since his timing is so perfect you simply gotta love it!

I have a tiny indirect claim to fame here: one of our band's two drummers once played a gig with Damo Suzuki. He said it was extremely loud and noisy.

I also have a tiny and slightly embarassing claim here:
I once played some music & smoked a joint with him and some other musicians.
I was "auditioning" to play with them and apparently the joint was an important part of the vetting.
I failed miserably on both accounts; weed has never been my thing.
But I have seen both him and Damo Suzuki play numerous times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBekfubOL1I&list=PLesMFjWioGTKdiw1530qtdpvzQRGV5s4-

Can etc.-up-

Can - Future Days
...

Wonderful!
Was this really made in 1973?

i know, right?
Can were forerunners in many ways, never quite made it to the mainstream, but often pop up when e.g. artists talk about their influences.
Damo Suzuki & Malcolm Mooney were their best singers - this one is with Damo Suzuki.
also check out subsequent solo careers, esp. Jaki Liebezeit (collaborator with Jah Wobble, Eurythmics and many, many more) and Holger Czukay.

@THX1138:
Cramps: for me, one of the comments on this song sums it up perfectly:

Grimy, disgusting, sick and interesting. The occasional cramps craving is not with out reason. They are masters of flawed masterpieces and the bizarre parts of music.

:devil:

Sid Vicious: I always liked this version of a version.
One day I want to go to a karaoke bar and do my own.

Marc Bolan: Yes.

Hot Chip-up-

Hot Chip
So Glad To See you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVzR-qciA58
Love that snare and the vocoder on the chorus voices

ah, hot chip.
i really like the Dark & Stormy EP, but whenever I listen to something else they made, it just doesn't compare.
So, all in all, my Love of Hot Chip comes down to these three songs:
Jelly Babies
Flutes
Dark & Stormy

Laurie Anderson II-up-

She played a violin whose strings were made from strips of magnetized tape that contained some recordings, the bow contain a tape pick up thingie.

actually i think now it was the other way round - the pickup was on the violin, the magnetic tape on the bow...
a friend musician once recreated it, i don't remember how, but it wasn't hard to do.

Sharkey's Night

And Sharkey says: Hey, kemosabe(?)! Long time no see.
He says: Hey sport. You connected us. You pick up the pieces.
He says: You know, I can see two tiny pictures of myself
And there's one in each of your eyes. And they're doin' everything I do.
Every time I light a cigarett, they light up theirs.
I take a drink and I look again and they're drinkin' too.
It's drivin' me crazy. It's drivin' me nuts.

more good stuff on Mr. Heartbreak.

Laurie Anderson I-up-

... Laurie Anderson ...
I genuinely believe that, along with ... her work helped create ... genres ... of synthesised music.
Anderson goes beyond music though ... story teller ... visual artist ... story about
our technological age
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SirOxIeuNDE

Love her too, have seen her live also (in the nineties).
Started with Home of the Brave (this was not only a live show but also an album. Excerpt from the album: Language is a Virus).
She played a violin whose strings were made from strips of magnetized tape that contained some recordings, the bow contain a tape pick up thingie.
I then went through all her Albums until Bright Red, which was my favorite for a long time...

thanks for "Mach 20" - I will make sure to post this on LQ's "Do you believe in Aliens" thread! :D

T. Thaemlitz II-up-

Highly non-conformist, sometimes frustratingly so, especially with regards to his own material - scroll down to the second blurb here to read about the Bandcamp distribution.

i see.
might also explain why i usually heard his more ambient stuff.
and reminds me of an old friend who used to listen to Mille Plateaux stuff (and also read [the book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Thousand_Plateaus) I believe).

funny:

"Mille Glaces.001-009" are recordings of my computer crashing as it attempts to play the same files in realtime (a Power Macintosh 7100 with Sound Designer II card).

T. Thaemlitz I-up-

https://comatonse.bandcamp.com/album/soil

i've come across terre thaemlitz a few times.
interesting; some sort of historical archive, this bandcamp site?

JD-up-

http://offtherecord.net/phonica-mix-series-55jd-twitch-optimo/

JD...
Jisk Dockey?
already the first few minutes are genius, i hope it continues that way.
note to self: need to listen to Coil again.

Post Rock?-up-

This is the first time I've heard of post-rock

hmmm.
GY!BE is a special case, but you should have a vague understanding - although i really hate terms like "post-rock".
apparently Velvet Underground (the band that hated hippie music) were the first. makes sense to me.
looking at the listed bands there, i seem to be some sort of "post-rock fan".

quick & dirty list:

VU, duh.
Talk Talk (their last 3 albums)
P.I.L with Jah Wobble
Stereolab
Tortoise (and watch out for John McEntire projects)
Radiohead's Kid A
Sigur Rós

A recent second music project - improvised sounds, riffs etc + poetry. A while ago someone said it reminded them of Can, now it looks as if it might fit into post-rock if the genre still exists.

i know from experience: whatever improvised (rock) music you make, people will compare it to a band (usually the only one they know) that also does that.
+1 for Can (I'm from Cologne :D) though.

I'd love to hear your sounds.

Good thing about third millemium pop music: the creator's age doesn't matter anymore.

Sleaford Mods-up-

Sleadford Mods again.
criticspeak: "Trash" becomes "abrasive, minimalist musical style" and "disgusted (*) rant" becomes "embittered explorations of austerity-era Britain, culture, and working class life".
i'm sure Williamson would have a laugh about that wikipedia article.

(*) and also disgusting

Low-up-

New from Low, Dancing and Fire

what, they're still doing it. wow.
i really love some of their (by now) older stuff: Low - Breaker

Floyd, Tortoise, Barrett-up-

Early Floyd, 1966 (look out for brief appearance of John Lennon too):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVrembZ7dVE

oh, nice & rare i guess.
i like how the images of pop culture contrast with the music.
which i'm sure i heard on one of their studio albums...
and somehow it reminds me a lot of Tortoise right now:
Tortoise live 2001 at Mississippi Nights, St. Louis (Lepers TV)

btw, syd barrett's solo work is also worth noting. crazy & beautiful:
gigolo aunt from "barrett" (1970)
will you please keep on the track / cause i almost want you back....

Kraftwerk vs. Art of Noise II-up-

Art of Noise:
befitting the time of year:
The Art Of Noise - Opus 4.

Kraftwerk:
I always prefer the German versions:
Kraftwerk - Das Model (The Model) (1982) HD 0815007

Kraftwerk vs. Art of Noise I-up-

Kraftwerk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0lIlROWro8

oh, "Music Non-stop"! i like it. the video is pretty cool.
1986, Kraftwerk showing off what computers were capable of these days, both visually and acoustically.
Let's compare that to Art of Noise, who were somewhat similar in 1986:
The Art of Noise with Max Headroom - Paranoimia (Official Video)
or this one from their earliest days in 1984 (no video, but what a nice track):
ART OF NOISE - BEAT BOX - 1984
or this one, with a hilarious video:
Art of Noise - Close (To The Edit) Version 1 (ZTPS 01)
but credit where credit is due, Kraftwerk already did it in the 70s.
my favourites:
Kraftwerk - Radioaktivität (1975!)
KRAFTWERK - The robots (1978 Remastered)

Pink Floyd-up-

Re: Pink Floyd
those were the heroes of my (early) teenage days.
it all started with the album "Wish you were here" on headphones on a cheap boombox.
I was 14.
I was blown away.
Nothing had prepared me that Music could be like this (and not the top 50 hits i'd been listening to til then).

Later I smoked my first spliff with a friend while listening to Ummagumma (2nd half, studio recorded).
I "understood" everything! :D

Ffwd a few years, The Wall was being shown in my local cinema.
I was already into The Cure etc., but this film touched me deeply.
Made me cry.
I felt every minute of it, every song. like Pink Floyd understand me better than my parents.
I came home and tried to explain it all to them - I don't think they understood even the first bit.

Pink Floyd: reaching into the 80s. That's what it was for me.
)

PS: of course I also listened to the rest of their oeuvre.

Ska etc.-up-

But the snag was: ska, rock steady, bluebeat and reggae were the favoured music of the dreaded skinheads, deadly enemies of longhaired hippy types.

Yipes, ain't that the definition of irony. Like racist white guys I know who crank Lil' Wayne in their pickups.

i don't know how it was in the early days, but in my youth there was an important distinction between working class leftish skinheads, and nazi skinheads.
only the former listened to ska and oi punk and such.
methinks the specials already made that distinction on their first album (1979), which was really all about celebrating the coming to gether of different leftish working class subcultures (regardless of skincolor) and defending oneself against the real arseholes. at least that's how i read it.

Ini Kamoze-up-

INI KAMOZE - DEBUT [FULL ALBUM] #REGGAE

Burial-up-

listening to Burial since someone posted a link to a BBC show on these forums (probably on the other listening thread).

Skatalites-up-

The venerable Skatalites in Helsinki's equally venerable Tavastia Club (*) last night.
Great to get a live performance of this beloved sound that I always thought doesn't exist anymore in its pure form.
almost 2 hours of dancing.

Surprised to see some of the "good" skinheads (sideburns, checkered shirts, suspenders, docmarten boots. girls with that particular hairstyle). i thought those had finally died out some time in the 90s.
there was even pogo dancing. of course i had to join the melee :D

(*) Voivod are alo coming!

Aphex Twin - T69-up-

Aphex Twin - T69 ( brand spanking new ) from Collapse EP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqayDnQ2wmw

WARNING - POSSIBLE SEIZURES, SEE YOUR DOCTOR

amazing video; particularly the CLI beginning.
and always the grinning faces somewhere in between.

Breeders-up-

me, still nostalgic. early nineties, when i seriously started getting into "independent" music (or at least what the term meant back then).

The Breeders - Pod (full album)
(my scratched and much-listened-to vinyl sounds better)

I was thinking which song i would choose to convince someone of how good this album is, and what makes it special.
can't - every song stands out in its own special way - but don't miss the Beatles cover!

some boring music becomes less boring with each listening. that's genius.

PS: special mention for 4AD's artwork in general, and on this album cover in particular. wow. and that was looong before photoshop.

DJ Sprinkles-up-

DJ Sprinkles - Midtown 120 Blues (Full Album)
Can't believe it's been a decade since this came out. Sounds as sublime as it did back when I first heard it.

I listened to this twice in a row yesterday.
now i'm downloading it.

Blumfeld-up-

Nostalgia...
Blumfeld - Ich-Maschine (Full Album, 1992)
This was a very influential album for us when we were young adults - all of it: the music, the almost-rapping style and the lyrics themselves.
I hope you can feel it, even if you don't understand the words.

Aug 14 2018-up-

http://www.beatsinspace.net/playlists/950

the first part sucks (he's doing commentary, it really spoils everything. but the first two tracks weren't so brilliant either).
the second part is great so far.
this beatsinspace site sure has some interesting rare grooves, thanks for continually reminding me.

Aug 3 2018-up-

Find the wetter*

funny, in german it just means weather.

this band has a lot to say about the weather: The Chills
might have a cooling effect on some, though I always found them to be warming, like a thick woollen sweater on a January afternoon.

PS: thanks to all the Indonesian/far-eastern material, enjoying that a lot.

Superorganism-up-

Superorganism: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K49QKVR0p0

perfect live performance!
but why does the singer look like a bored 14-year-old?

Jul 13 2018-up-

Zappa & The Ensemble Modern
Welcome to the United States
Oh my, as a german i can only share my feelings about that in my own language:
Wenn Frank etwas angepackt hat dann aber richtig. Ich bin in Mainz geboren und mit der "Fassenacht" gross geworden, also ein echter "Meenzer Bub" und deshalb verstehe ich jeden Witz und jede Anspielung auf meine Heimat und ganz speziell meine Region.
Das Frank das verstanden hat ist nur ein weiteres Beispiel seiner Genialität.
Das bekloppte dabei ist: Welcome to the United States = Willkommen in Deutschland

hilarious!
and the guy has such a wonderful german accent.

so this was early 90s?
...yes, the wikipedia page seems to support that timeline.
btw, Ensemble Modern was a german band; i'm sure they told zappa something about what fassenacht is.
a masterpiece nevertheless.
also, wasn't zappa cultural attaché for the czech republic during that time? that would put him quite close geographically.

german "classical" carnival is a grotesque distortion of a military parade meant to be funny & jovial. it's an abomination.
thankfully, many "alternative" approaches have existed for a long time. i used to be very fond of the participatory Geisterzug.
i myself am from Köln originally, could tell you some about both aspects of Karneval... that and the alcohol abuse... :rolleyes:

Robert Wyatt-up-

I love robert wyatt.
the lyrics are wonderful.
https://www.hooktube.com/watch?v=ipEFOODdLzg&t=230 -- Matching Mole • Gloria Gloom (1972) UK
https://www.hooktube.com/watch?v=87bwOQlYGqI -- Robert Wyatt "Age of Self" 1985
unfortunately the music doesn't always agree with me.

related:
https://www.hooktube.com/watch?v=N-gzYsxxtVc -- Cpt. Kirk &. - How He Could Just Kill A Man

Jun 13 2018-up-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Cln-HNkgc

the album art is just beautiful!

DJ Healer-up-

DJ Healer - Nothing 2 Loose (full album)

that is so beautiful!

Shackleton-up-

Shackleton - Fabric 55

actually I'm listening to this radio station, which has decided to play it daily at the same time? it's the second time tonight, first time yesterday. that's very fine with me, my innards are starting to vibrate with it, endlessly.

Yello, Ralph Records-up-

Yello - Claro Que Si

No full album link on youtube, maybe this one as a taste.
Forget about the words, but those sounds!
Marvel at the artwork:
http://dt.iki.fi/stuff/claroquesi.pngfull on artsy weird 80s shit!

Then I found out that they released this record on Ralph Records, The Residents' own label, which had also released Tuxedomoon (no tears used to be one of our anthems), so I'm listening to more weird 80s stuff now. also a deeply disturbed version of night and day. :D

Ummagumma-up-

Pink Floyd - Ummagumma

i wanted to listen to Grantchester Meadows, which now doesn't seem to be the melancholy & beautiful masterpiece i remembered it to be.
i still love the birdsong loop, though. i think there also is a bumblebee in there somewhere.
technically, it's amazing what pink floyd did back then. no digital stuff at all, and not even quite the piles of money they had later.

the whole album - a weird combination of live & studio stuff.
the band was still finding itself after syd barrett left (*) for good.
each band member got a quarter of one LP to themselves, the other LP was Live stuff.

i smoked my first joint listening to the studio side.
i.e., sysyphus first, then the aforementioned grantchester meadows - balm on a shaken soul.
my friend had a coughing fit and urged me to smoke the rest of it so it doesn't go to waste. in retrospect, i wonder if he did that on purpose...
The Sense of Understanding was immense.

aah, fond memories - sweet 15 i was...

http://dt.iki.fi/stuff/ummagumma.t.jpg

Wand-up-

on repeat:
Wand - Golem

Feb 1 2018-up-

Btw I'm listening to this now, it's just too cool: https://hooktube.com/watch?v=oYRLl7MfUSE

man, this guy knows how to move. fluid.

if you like this sort of music, you might enjoy some gypsy brass / balkan beat stuff.
i was into that some years ago, there's some absolutely wild stuff.
makes me want to get drunk on moonshine...
this one is more traditional, but has more oomph imo.
this search gives you the modernised and extremely groovy versions.

Jan 28 2018-up-

i just listened to no. 21

Jan 16 2018-up-

I guess this is "darkwave" for you.

and it started off so well...
the good bits, btw, remind me of necro deathmort (that must be the funniest "band" name ever).

Dec 30 2017-up-

Sometimes, not often but sometimes, the BBC make me feel proud to be British.

Asian Network Comedy
(Offensive content alert - swearwords, politics, religion...)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09kd326

oh, the BBC is always warning its viewers/listeners so politely.
nice, thanks.
incidentally, i recently felt this longing to hear some comedy "from home", and settled on liking Hazel Brugger a lot.
being young, female and goodlooking adds extra irony, and of course she's playing that.
there's a series where she takes the p!ss out of politicians while doing kindergarten handicrafts with them. it's hilarious, how the politicians' obsession to be friendly and open contrasts with her acid remarks & unsmiling face.

Dec 27 2017-up-

http://mysteriesofthedeep.mx/lxxv/

this was really nice. i actually downloaded it.

Ex-Cult-up-

EX-CULT

fuzzy!

have to get back to this one.

there's a very prolific (and non-punky) artist called ty segall who produced that album, giving it its unique sound.
"gnarly" as well as "fuzzy" (i saw the word "sludge" also).

turns out there's a new band called GØGGS with the same singer & ty segall actually part of the band (not sure what instrument; something fuzzy and gnarly i guess).

There's also more from EX-CULT - Midnight Passenger is of bearable recording quality and has a somewhat different sound.

Dec 5 2017-up-

mpv https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL6D27C3CC08973E7A

they were famous in my teens :D
but even now, that first song is really nice.
reminds me of herman van veen's thoughts on edith piaf:

I did not understand it, I could feel my goose bumps
The silver in our house seemed to sparkle then
My mother put down the vacuum cleaner because the radio sang Edith, Edith Piaf
In my mind I saw her singing in a big black theater of vultures sitting grinning on the edge of their chairs
Sang in my feelings she for one whom she hated as the plague begged on her knees to come home quickly
Edith Piaf
I did not understand it I felt it on my goose bumps It sounded like a creed for the stones of Paris
And mother put the vacuum cleaner off because the radio sang Edith, Edith Piaf
I saw a bat trying to flee but she did not come away
She fluttered back and forth between microphone and accordion
I saw so many oath bursting over a few glasses Wine and a spring that only started slowly with a chorus
Edith Edith Edith Edith Edith Piaf ...

edit:
btw, these are not google translate antics. he really sings that.

Jah Wobble-up-

I used to love jah wobble.
one of my favorite tracks from "Take me to God"
he's done a lot of stuff.
started with john lydon & P.I.L.,
did things with Holger Czukay etc. etc.

The Lovely Bad Things-up-

The Lovely Bad Things - The Late Great Whatever
Satisfyingly noisy.
The whole album.

Beak-up-

Beak - Wulfstan II
http://dt.iki.fi/stuff/wulfstan\_II.png

Siouxsie & the Banshees-up-

siouxsie and the banshees - arabian knights (from the at BBC album)

not sure about "at bbc", but that song is fricking awesome.
that righteous, female anger, and the right band to back it up. the guitarist was absolutely genious.
the whole juju album is like that.

Beak>-up-

BEAK>
like, all of it.

dublab-up-

i'm listening to dublab right now, there's some extremely interesting "lo-fi ambient" going on.
check it out:
http://dublab.com/streams/dubstream

edit:
of course the program ended ~10min after i posted this.
and was followed by a program that promotes music made by native americans.
still, dublab is usually a good listen, always centered on music.

Yuri Gagarin-up-

yuri gagarin
at the center of all infinity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boa96c7uOSM

i LOVE this sort of music.
reminds me of ozric tentacles...
D

King Crimson-up-

I'm more of a 21st century schizoid man, starless, bible black and indisciplined (no decent video for the last one; thank me i have the cd here:-).

KC live in Argentina 1994 - Discipline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZbd7EL7kvQ

no, i was refering to Indiscipline from the same album.

King Crimson (or rather their record company) seem to have their youtube presence locked down pretty tightly, all I can find is live versions or obviously flawed audio.

Here's a usable video (dunno, the album version is still better).
Adrian Belew looked like a mix between Miami Vice & Phil Collins (and frankly also behaved like that on stage) but he has said things in his songs that make me shiver even without the music:

The more I look at it,
The more I like it.
I do think it's good.
The fact is..
No matter how closely I study it,
No matter how I take it apart,
No matter how I break it down,
It remains consistent.
I wish you were here to see it.

Or:

She could be sleeping in the comfort of another bed
It wouldn't matter to a man with an open heart

King Crimson's 80s output was very important for me - it spanned a very intellectual and brainy bridge between 1960s psychedelic style and new wave of the 80s - both of which i was deeply rooted in.

BTW, their output does not end there.

King Crimson-up-

https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?id=588

half an hour in, and i'm quite taken.

the last one you posted from residentadvisor was also pretty good, iirc.

We have similar listening appreciation it seems, listened to King Crimson ....

there are also the three albuns released in early 80.

I'm more of a 21st century schizoid man, starless, bible black and indisciplined (no decent video for the last one; thank me i have the cd here:-).

First Aid Kit-up-

I'm obsessed with First Aid Kit. They're a genius Swedish duo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3huNmrJScJs

Stockhausen-up-

karlheinz stockhausen

he lived quite near where i lived, and once a year he would give a free concert in his hometown's biggest auditorium, in a school.
it was quite impressive, him robed in white at the mixing board in the back, musicians in the front, weird sounds floating all around... i loved it.

Sleaford Mods-up-

Sleaford Mods

Black Hole Sun-up-

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

always loved that video. and the song.
barbieque.
my condolences.

Gil Scott-Heron-up-

Perhaps it was gil scott-heron who generated that spark that led to modern rap.

nah, that's much older.
but i guess he's the first to put it on a mainstream record with reasonable commercial success.
anyhow, i think it wasn't a big thing at the time, only in retrospect people started refering to him.

from wikipedia:
"Boxer Muhammad Ali anticipated elements of rap, often using rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, both for when he was trash talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism outside of boxing, paving the way for The Last Poets in 1968, Gil Scott-Heron in 1970, and the emergence of rap music in the 1970s."

interesting:
the last poets 1968

Can-up-

haven't listened to this in ages... still unparalelled:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/CanMonsterMovieAlbumCover.jpgCan

Forest Swords-up-

^ New album came out yesterday, btw;
https://forestswords.bandcamp.com/album/compassion

thanks, nice to know.
and one can listen to the whole album, not just one song.
incredible stuff, post-everything dub.

they also uploaded their previous stuff to youtube themselves (or so i presume because the username is Forest Swords) :D

Forest Swords-up-

http://dt.iki.fi/stuff/forest-swords-engravings.jpgForest Swords

Breadwinner-up-

Breadwinner - Mumuration
breadwinnerwinsbread.bandcamp.com/album/mumuration

oh, i love non-standard banjo! also, beautiful females!

Cardiacs-up-

Cardiacs Live - loud!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/Big\_Ship\_%28Cardiacs\_album%29.jpeg/220px-Big\_Ship\_%28Cardiacs\_album%29.jpeg

think about it:
after only one full studio album, they bring out their first live album

  • what does it say about them? that they're an incredibly good (live) band!

no youtube video of the actual album, but these come close:
[s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6eZmQl1yg[/s]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2kITQfu1WQ
gorn...!

Suicide-up-

Suicide

Queen Elvis

The Doors-up-

rediscovering the doors.
here's all you need:
absolutely live
incredibly groovy. blues-rock. perfect for cycling the city in this spring weather.

Oct 18 2015-up-

BTW, Bill Laswell w/ W.S. Burroughs, Nicky Skopelitis, Jah Wobell and L. Shankar: Material - Seven Souls

here's the Finnish version:
J.K. Ihalainen & Sándor Vály - Kone
(the translation sucks)

Oct 17 2015-up-

Coil with Bill Laswell-- Kala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTivLru828E&feature=youtu.be

coil!
i always knew i was missing something after my hard drive crashed over a year ago.

Halber Mensch
on the bus to work this morning (not the video though).

multiple edits:

...and the video continues here:
ES tanzt das ZNS
german industrial music meets japanese butoh dance...

"Einstürzende Neubauten were in their creative prime when punk film pioneer Sohgo Ishii shot this 58-minute document in Tokyo during the band's world tour in 1985."

both videos are part of that, as is this one, which is my favorite:
Armenien (sind die Vulkane noch tätig)
(and they were really making music this way, microphones hooked to steel springs and metal pipes...)

this is me, getting nostalgic again...

Manu Dibango-up-

80's world music (Africa).
Manu Dibango

oooo-yes!

Oct 11 2015-up-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKAHU5-pS_A ]:D

Ministry-up-

A trip in the wayback machine....

Ministry - N.W.O

ooooo, thanks for that.
forgotten all about them.

A trip even further back for me:
http://www.motogrrl.org/Bands/LAH/PC/

rare! beautiful!
reminds me of... https://youtu.be/Asb4l5thyM8 (same time, too)