Q#84 - June - July 2012

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q84
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Q’s Compilations

Volume #84 – June – July 2012

Greetings from sweltering New York! I had been warned about the summers here and they were not joking, at the time of writing we’ve had 14 days of over 32 degrees C (90 degrees F), apparently the average for the year is 15 days of that temperature. Yikes. Anyway, here’s some music.

01) Seapony – Dreaming: I can’t remember where I found this from, I think it might have been a last.fm recommendation. It is, however, perfect summer pop and the album, Go With Me, is generally delightful. “I don't wanna be like everybody else, I don't wanna be stuck on another shelf”

02) Mrs Magician – There Is No God: Atheism has never sounded so sunny! My wife and I have been fighting over who was going to buy their record, even though I obviously like them better, and heard of them first :o) regardless, it’s a wonderful debut (Strange Heaven). “There’s no god la la la there’s no god la la la”

03) Pond – Dig Brother: I didn’t realise when I bought this record (Beard, Wives, Denim) the other week that it’s a side-project of Australian band, Tame Impala. I first heard of them thanks for a compilation that friend, Felix, sent to me recently. The album is heavily influenced by those old Nuggets-style bands.

04) Chelsea Light Moving - Burroughs: This is Thurston Moore’s new project sounds like… Sonic Youth! I had the pleasure of seeing Thurston perform an improvised set a couple of months ago where he basically abused his guitar, a great watch! On the basis of this track I’m looking forward to the record. http://chelsealightmoving.blogspot.com/

05) The Corin Tucker Band – Doubt: Corin Tucker is set to release her second solo album, which reminded me that I actually needed to hear the first (which is called 1000 Years)! Corin is of course, best known for being in Sleater Kinney, and this material is no departure. She’s playing a couple of shows here in September which I’m tempted by.

06) Guided By Voices – No Transmission: I had the pleasure of seeing GBV for free in Central Park recently and they played a great set (whilst also helping me tick off seeing one of my favourite bands that I didn’t think I’d ever get to see). While it was heavy on recent material and very light on classics (although hearing Game of Pricks, I Am a Scientist and Echos Myron will forever be gig-going highlights), new album Class Clown Spots a UFO is actually rather fine and dandy. As Pollard said at the gig, “we had to show them how it was done back then, and we had to come back to show them how to do it again”.

07) Smashing Pumpkins – Quasar: Another band with a recent return to form, Smashing Pumpkins seemed to disappear with a bit of a wimper a few years ago, but new album, Oceania, is an ambitious and varied record.

08) Roomrunner – Spinning: I saw Roomrunner’s first ever gig (or at least that’s what they said, a freebie at Hudson River Rocks) recently and despite a catalogue of technical problems they played a blistering set, check them out! http://roomrunner.tumblr.com/

09) Heavy Blanket – Spit in the Eye: This project is basically an excuse for J.Mascis to guitar solo constantly, which is fine because there are fewer aural delights than a Mascis guitar solo!

10) Superchunk – Why Do You Have To Put A Date On Everything (live): Although I owned the original CD, I love Foolish so purchased the remastered CD that was released last year. The album comes with a download code with a raft of bonus material, which includes a concert recording. I was a bit bummed out recently because they played a free show in Times Square that I had to miss (it clashed with Guided By Voices, all the more annoying that they were supposed to play the day before but had to change venue and day).

11) Built to Spill – Car: I love Built to Spill, but until recently had never gotten round to purchasing There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, which has now been rectified. Car is one of their most well-known songs, of course, but I felt like throwing it on anyway.

12) Diiv – Follow: The band have just released their debut album, Oshin, which is a lovely and dreamy swirl of guitars and this song is pretty representative of the album as a whole. Planning on catching them in August at one of the Hudson River Rocks shows.

13) Blouse – Into Black: From Portland, Oregon, Blouse released a haunting self-titled debut album last year which is well worth a listen.

14) Blood Orange – Sutphin Boulevard: Blood Orange is another alias of Devonté Hynes also known as Lightspeed Champion and member of the now defunct Test Icicles (I always saw their name but never checked them out). I have Felix to thank for recommending this to me.

15) Fanfarlo – Lenslife: On their second album (debut album Resevoir was very promising) the band seem to have ventured into Talking Heads territory, not that that’s a bad thing! It seems a less coherent record (Rooms Filled With Light) but does have some highlights, this was my favourite.

16) Chromatics – The River: The band have just released new album, Kill For Love, on their Italians Do It Better label, all of their music is very reasonably priced (most albums are $5 and they send you a download while you wait for the physical copy). I love the vibe of this song, so simple but effective. “l Watch The Moon Hang In The Air, l Feel The Cold Breeze Through My Hair, My Eyes Blind By Headlights Glare, I'm Still Here Waiting For You”

17) The Flaming Lips – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends was released on CD recently and is a schizophrenic mishmash of collaborations, this one features Erika Badu and is a cover version, most famously known as a cover version itself by Roberta Flack. The Flips’ version features their typical sonic bombast but still manages to retain a sense of longing for which the song is known. “The first time ever I kissed your mouth, And felt your heart beat close to mine, Like the trembling heart of a captive bird, That was there at my command, my love“

18) Exitmusic – Sparks of Light: I’d heard the name of this band for some time but never got round to listening to them, I don’t know why but I just assumed they would sound completely different to this.

And there you have it!

Until next time

Peace and love

Q