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Trip to america

Currently listening to:

 

January 2011

 

Havent done this for a while , but here are my picks from 2010

November 09

 

Do make say think – you you’re a history in rust

 

The fifth full-length from Do Make Say Think begins with a brief, minor-key modal piano and jazzy snare and cymbals intro that sounds an awful lot like an homage to Talk Talk’s atmospheric masterpiece, Laughing Stock. You, You’re a History in the Rust quickly veers from that intro into more familiar DMST terrain, but Mark Hollis and company’s seminal record is an apropos touchstone for this Toronto collective’s songs, which are built with similar emphasis on mood, texture, and dramatic ebb and flow.

 

 

September 09Â

 

My ipod is officially FULL of gbv – no room for anything else!

 

here is another 100 tracks – ±!! OMG all lush

 

 

March 09

 

The New Year – The New Year -self titled – a beautiful album

of pure gems – This album is stunning – I saw them at the Luminaire last year when this came out but hadnt got round to sticking the new album on my ipod – if you need to know more check out this live version the band are ex bedhead brothers the Kadanes.

 

 

Heres the allmusic.com rendition!

 

Anyone who has followed the Kadane brothers over the past almost 20 years first as Bedhead, now as the New Year pretty much knows what to expect from a new album released under their guidance. You’re guaranteed chord progressions that start off quietly and build and build until the speakers are overflowing with chiming guitars and your heart swells at the restrained majesty of it all. Count too on Matt Kadane’s poignant, almost spoken vocals and glum lyrics. Take it to the bank that your listening experience will be emotional and fulfilling. On their third, self-titled, album the New Year continue to take steps away from the sound that while in Bedhead they cultivated to perfection. Bedhead’s songs were more about the spaces between the notes, the way the chords meshed together, and an overall hushed bleakness that gave the songs a decidedly melancholy appeal. The New Year feels more song based with a richer, more arranged sound and a punchier rhythm section. Sure, Bedhead had uptempo songs and could rock on occasion but the New Year has a barely harnessed power that fills up a room. The solos the brothers tear off on rockers like “The Idea of You” or “The Door Opens” have real emotional power; indie rock stalwart Chris Brokaw is typically thunderous on drums, and the whole band can raise quite a ruckus when they try. The songs and overall feel of the New Year is much sunnier too, almost fun at times. “The Company I Can Get”‘s uncharacteristically lighthearted lyrics about taking all the friends they can get, even the “redneck in the red Corvette,” almost provokes a chuckle, something that would have been unthinkable in the Bedhead days. Of course, it is still the Kadanes so it’s not exactly a Polyphonic Spree record, there is still plenty of quiet grace and melancholy to go around. Another slight change on The New Year is the use of pianos as both part of the ensemble and taking the forefront on the ballad “Body and Soul.” Though at first glance it almost seems heretical to add piano to such a perfectly balanced sound, it actually works well. Indeed the whole album works like a charm, the Kadanes songwriting has never been better, and the attention to sonic detail pays off throughout. Songs like “Seven Days and Seven Nights” and “Folios” are among the best the brothers have ever put on record, and that’s saying a lot. The New Year also stands as an equal to the brothers’ best work and that makes it absolutely essential to any card-carrying indie rock devotee.
February 09

 

Robert Pollard 457th LP (or something like that)!! “The Crawling Distance”
one of my favs for some time – surely soars above anything

around at the moment, prog rock meets 60 psych and a bit of thrashing guitars thrown in!

 

January 09

 

 

The Gerbils – Battle Of Electricity ( took me a while to find this on ebay!)
With the release of 2001’s The Battle of Electricity, the Gerbils found a formula for their brand of indie pop that kept them from venturing in other directions. Present are the requisite silly, nonsensical lyrics along with swirly guitar and synthesizer noises that lay the groundwork for the simple pop songs. On Battle, nearly every track is followed by an interlude-like instrumental number that splits the ten full tracks into 18 songs. The disc may come with the Elephant 6 seal of approval, stating its adherence to the homemade D.I.Y. aesthetic, but that’s not always a seal of quality. Here the Elephant 6 seal is simply one of intention and serves as a general indicator that listeners will know what they’re in for. Truly, the record is just not as catchy as the work of the Apples (in stereo) or as inventive as that of Olivia Tremor Control, two other groups that are members of the Elephant 6 collective. The collective works in a similar fashion as the jazz community by trading work duties on each other’s releases. Bill Doss of Olivia Tremor Control, among other collective members, sits in a track or two, making the disc that much more central to those in the Georgia pop scene. As the ’90s saw a great many bands in this genre (obviously more than just a collective) flourish, the public couldn’t handle much more of it. This release asks for too much, as it generally rehashes the same things that its collaborators explored in the previous five-year period. By the time of its release, Battle sounded as though any number of bands, from the Apples (in stereo) to Neutral Milk Hotel to Elf Power, had their unwieldy hands in it (which they most surely did).
December 08
Thanks Nick for introducing me to ‘Deerhoof’ – what a great gig at ULU

 

 

August 08

 

Coast to coast by Beulah.

 

I dug this out of my vinyl collection today and whacked it on the decks – what a lovely album – i was given this copy by my mates at luna records – indianapolis, when i visted them back in 03. Beulah are a fringe band of the elephant 6 recording collective, same as neutral milk hotel and olivia tremor control – it lovely simple indie pop

 

 

June 08

 

The Dirtbombs “We have you surrounded”

 

“Maybe Mick Collins can’t save the world, but he’s got plenty of worthwhile things to say on this album, and his global angst beats Bono’s for sheer entertainment value any day of the week.” Allmusic .com

 

April

 

Les Savy Fav “Lets Stay Friends”

 

Solid post-hardcore math rock songs – good drive music!! – quite a departure from their last album from 6 years ago – some appearances from top artists: Toko from Enon and Eleanor from the fiery furnaces

 

January

 

British Sea Power new album “Do you like rock music”

 

“Atom” and the instrumental “Great Skua” feel like steampunk soundtracks for polar exploration, a notion that looks weird in print but makes a whole lot of sense through a pair of headphones, a set of vintage basement speakers, or the inside of a freighter as it disappears into the bowels of the Arctic Ocean.

Says it all really!! a really great album

 

December

 

Songs:ohia

 

Really a one man band – Jason Molina from the shores of lake eerie – Critics often compare Songs: Ohia to Palace/Will Oldham, and while sonically the comparison is valid, Molina‘s ardent, soul-searching lyrics are more aptly compared to Neil Young or Leonard Cohen. Great and relaxing stuff

 

 

November

 

2 new ones from Bob Pollard (at the same time no less!) – one showing his rockier side “Standard Gargoyles” and the other “Coast 2 Coast carpet of love” showing his beatle neo UK side! both real progressive beauties!
good stuff…

 

 

October

 

Beirut’s new album is a real gem, following on from the success of Gulag Orkestar, The Flying Club Cup is french influenced full of theatrical accordions and rousing horns – chill out on a Sunday to this!

 

 

September

The Decemberists are a five-piece outfit whose pop sound has been compared to the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel and Belle & Sebastian

 

August

 

I got into Quasi through my mate Nick (club hemisphere ) and as such came across these recent gems – Blues Goblins and Goldcard: Sam Coomes (lead singer – Quasi) has made these 2 little gems and are worthe a listen

 

Heres a lick from the off records website:

Recorded over years with guest appearances from members of Grandaddy, Quasi, and Pond, Mr. Campbell’s knack for creating otherworldly, orchestral psych is truly unmatched. His unique guitar-playing technique (or gimmick as he calls it) has been showcased in his previous band Pond (Sub-Pop Records) as well as his four compositions on the Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernickel compilation.

 

July

 

Ulrich Scnauss – Goodbye

 

If you like Boards of Canada and Do Make Say Think check this out – v. Moody

 

 

June

 

 

Silverfish Trivia – by Robert Pollard another classic from the ex GBV frontman…this is the first release on his new label ‘prom is coming’ a powerful prog influenced cd. go and buy it!

 

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Thanks to Vaughn for this intro – Built to Spill – fine guitar work

 

 

May

 

 

Just got the complete collection of Wedding Present ‘peel sessions’ – a massive 5 cd set which includes the bizzarre but lovely ukranian folk sets!

 

April

 

Archer of Loaf – Vee Vee
Fab inde rock – influences: the replacements, sonic youth, pavement

 

The Young Knives: Voices of animals and men.
“sort of Gang of four meets the darkness!”

 

March

 

By far my favourite singer songwriter of the last 15 years is Robert Pollard (of Guided by Voices)

 

This album ‘Kid Marine’ was made in 1999 and is number 3 in a current portfolio of 11! Hard to pick out a single piece of work from this collection as it is consistently brilliant – but this album stands out as one of my personal favs.

 

sample: 07-far-out-crops.mp3

 

Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats:
Lovely Lo-fi Folk – Imagine counting crows with primitive nasal bleating and frenzied guitar

 

 

One of the surprises of 2006 – Gulag Orkestar by Beirut. The central figure in this ‘band’ is Zach Gordon from Albuquerque, quite amazing stuff when you consider it was made on a 4 track! hints of Neutral Milk Hotel and Beulah with a bit of folk like Ladybug Transistor

 

 

Here’s an artist I came across after listening to Sofafm on itunes one night,
Klee, an electronic German band fronted by Suzie Kerstgens (presume the name is taken from artist Paul klee?) If you like New Order, Monaco, and The Other Two etc you’ll love this..

 

The new Apples in Stereo‘s Album (number 6 I count) is out “New Magnetic Wonder” A bit over produced compared to most of their E6 stuff but – very enjyable and ‘happy!!’
Shame that Hilarie Sidney is leaving the band – presumably to concentrate on The High Water Marks project?

 

 

February

 

Wolf Parade

 

Keene Brothers – blues and boogie shoes (Robert Pollard and Tommy Keene) (sample: 01-evil-vs-evil.mp3)

 

 

The Pernice Brothers – Live a little (sample:01-autamaton.mp3)
Thunderbirds are now – Make History (sample: 08-shit-gold.mp3)

Psycho & The Birds – All that is holy

Do say make think – Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn

Elf Power – 8th record: Back to the web

 

Fire Engines – Codex Teenage Premonition

 

January

 

Broken Social Scene

 

 

just downloaded highway to hell – ACDC
bizzare that I like this – but its just brilliant
also equally bizzarre is the new album from Cat Stevens – review soon on Clubhemisphere.com

If youve never heard Dragnet by the Fall – try and get a copy – its simply genius – incredible to think this album was written in 1979!