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Q’s Compilations
Volume #112 February
to March 2017
The
clocks have changed, we’re officially in Spring (though a recent snowstorm
didn’t make it seem that way a couple of weeks ago), and most importantly,
Oxford United are playing a Wembley final on the 2nd of April. Usually
the Feb/March mix of each year is a “crap, I forgot to put this song on the
previous mix” but this one has a fair amount of brand new songs.
01)
Magaly Fields – These Lights: It probably hasn’t been a while since I used a
Chilean band, but it feels like it. Magaly Fields are Tomas Stewart
(guitar/vocals) and Diego Cifuentes (drums/vocals). They recently played at
SXSW and I was hoping that would mean a show in New York but alas, none so far.
This track is considered a “leftover” from their 2014 debut album, Chromatic Days, and was released on a 7”
single last summer.
02)
Cherubs – Unhappyable: Texas-trio Cherubs released a couple of excellent
downtuned noise rock in the early 90s but broke up in 1994 in fairly typical
rock-band fashion with an actual fight after a show. They reunited in 2014 and
released the excellent 2 YNFYNYTY in
2015. I’ll be seeing them at Saint Vitus in April.
03)
Heaters – Kamikaze: I’ve been a fan of Michigan psych-band Heaters for a few
years without actually owning anything by them, but finally bought Holy Water Pool in a sale and this track
opens the record. They have since released another album, Baptistina, which is also another excellent psych album.
04)
Overlake – Winter is Why: On the hunt for something new to listen to, I
actually sifted through the myriad of press releases in my inbox and this one
caught my ears immediately. While their influences are obvious (you could be
forgiven for thinking this was by Slowdive), I’m a sucker for the sound.
Overlake’s second album, Fall, will
be out in May.
05)
Mint Field – El Otro Lugar: I was sad to miss Mexican band Mint Field in New
York recently (it was the first time they had played here), especially given the
current climate where bands and artists are having a harder time getting visas
to play in the US. However, they have been an excellent recent discovery and
this track opens their 2015 EP Primeras
Salidas. They’ve since released a couple of very shoegaze-y singles which
bode well for a future album.
06)
No Joy – Califone: No Joy’s most recent release, Creep is their first EP on new label Grey Market. Sonically the
band have taken a left-turn and have dialled the treble up from their heavier
sound of previous efforts. I saw them recently at Sunnyvale and the new
direction suits them (having a Korn concert playing via a projector behind them
was a bit confusing, however).
07)
Pill – My Rights: I’d been trying to see Brooklyn-band Pill live for at least a
couple of years now and had never managed it, but whilst on a weekend break in
Nashville I noticed they were playing at Third Man Records, so I finally got to
see them! They were excellent and I gleefully picked up their album, Convenience, at the merch table.
08)
Robyn Hitchcock – Brenda’s Iron Sledge: Few people are deserving of the term national treasure, but Robyn Hitchcock
truly is. I hadn’t seen him perform with a band since 2010 but his recent show
at Rough Trade saw him not only play Black
Snake Diamond Role in full, but also featured the also-great Yo La Tengo as
his backing band. “Please don’t call me
Reg, it’s not my name”
09)
Kane Strang – Things Are Never Simple: New Zealand often produces quirky
songwriters with a keen sense of melody and Kane Strang is another one of that
very productive conveyor belt. His first album, Blue Cheese, came out last year and I was bummed I had to miss his
recent show at Baby’s All Right (part of his first US tour). “Held her soft and slow, I'll never let you
go. I've seen it in my soul, of a boy I don't know and it, Won't work out.
Won't work out. Things are never simple”
10)
Horse Jumper of Love – Spaceman: Boston trio Horse Jumper of Love have clearly
spent a lot of time listening to all the great slowcore bands, a genre I would
fully support coming “back”. This track is on their self-titled album, which is
coming out in April on a limited pressing
11)
Holly Throsby – What Do You Say: Whilst realising I have yet to order the
latest Sun Kil Moon album (I can’t remember the last time I didn’t pre-order
one), I fell upon this song by Austrlian Holly Throsby, which includes a lovely
contribution from Mark Kozelek (quite refreshing to hear him singing rather
than the stream of consciousness, almost spoken word delivery he has been doing
more recently). “What do you make? I make
amends, What do you have? I have my friends, What do you own? I own up to it”
12)
Jeff Cowell – And When: Obscure 70s folk album Lucky Strikes and Liquid Gold got the Numero treatment recently.
It’s a pretty lonely album and you can feel the weariness oozing out of Cowell
frequently over the course of the ten tracks.
13)
Molly Burch – Please Forgive Me: I might have found my favourite album of the
year so far in the shape of Molly Burch’s debut album, Please Be Mine, which just came out on Captured Tracks in March.
Burch’s vocals seem effortless and timeless which fits perfectly with the retro
feel of the music. “I met you in the
snow, and I thought I could never let you go”
14)
William Bell – I’ll Show You: There aren’t too many soul legends left these
days, and while William Bell is perhaps one of the lesser celebrated names on
Stax, that’s unfair on someone who is one of the true originals. Like most, the
quality of his output dipped over the years but 2016’s This is Where I Live was released back on Stax (itself making
somewhat of a comeback) and won a grammy. I had the pleasure of seeing him
perform at the Appel Room in New York which is a lovely setting, and Bell’s
voice is still in great shape. This track is, however, was released all the way
back in 1963. “If you let me, I know I’ll
show you.”
15)
The Magnetic Fields – Be True to Your Bar: Stephin Merritt turned 50 in 2015
and just released 50 Song Memoir,
which as the title suggests, is 50 songs, with one song per year of his life. This
song features his typical sardonic observations! “Be true to your bar, And don’t let it down, Or else it may not always
be around, Be true to your friends, And let your friends know, Without your bar
you’d have no place to go”
16)
Alex Napping – Living Room: Austin quartet Alex Napping are not doing anything
remotely original, and that’s ok when you release tunes like this. I was
recently walking to meet some friends in the Upper West Side when this song
came out, it was a cold day but the sun was shining and I just felt a moment of
contentment, even if this song just makes me think about things I can’t have. This
is the lead single from the band’s second album, Mise En Place, out on the 5th of May via Father/Daughter
records. “I can dream all day about what
it’d be like…”
17)
Buffalo Tom – Staples: Boston trio Buffalo Tom formed 30 years ago… and are
probably the best example of a “solid” band, they never do anything that’s
outside of a 6.5 or 7 out of 10, and there’s something to be said for being
that damn reliable. The band’s third album, Let
Me Come Over is going to be 25 years old and they are playing a show at
Bowery Ballroom in May to celebrate. Having never seen them play, I’m
definitely looking forward to it.
18)
Suuns – Translate: Hold/Still was one
of the un-appreciated albums of 2016 and the band’s third. It sounds all the
more impressive to know that it’s almost completely live, with very few
overdubs. I’ve just tried to write about this a couple of times while listening
to it and all I do is end up listening to the song, and that’s praise enough.
One of the most mesmerising tracks I’ve heard in a long time. “When you go, It’s broke you can’t figure,
Wonder how i can’t make it, Don’t tell”
19)
The Sound – Total Recall: I don’t know why exactly I suddenly had a hankering
to listen to The Sound but it did make me realise I was missing a couple of
records including 1985’s Heads and Hearts,
where this song lives. Adrian Borland is an amazing writer and The Sound had it
all really. Unfortunately, Borland committed suicide in 1999 by throwing
himself in front of a train, he had suffered from depression for years. “You trace back the seconds, Recall the
details, From someone will, to someone does, To someone did, you know I did. Oh
there must be a hole in your memory, But I can see, I can see a distant
victory, A time when you will be with me”
20)
The Courtneys – Country Song 1: The Courtney’s are the first band on Flying Nun
that aren’t from New Zealand, and I have to confess that I just assumed they
were given how the band’s album, The
Courtneys II, sounds (released February 2017). The trio are actually from
Vancouver, but the music could hardly scream New Zealand any louder. “I pick my head up off the ground again. I
know I’m going but I don’t know when.”
21)
Ride – Charm Assault: Oxford legends Ride got back together to play some shows
in 2015 but are set to release their first album in over 20 years. Weather Diaries is being produced by
Erol Alkan and this song definitely has some hints of Going Blank Again to these ears and that can only be a good thing. “Your charm assault, Has scarred the world, It
looks so ugly, As your lies begin to unfurl.”
I
guess I was in too much of a hurry when I actually mixed this because some of
the transitions are pretty bad… sorry about that, maybe you won’t notice
anyway. I hope there was plenty to like on here and I will see you again in a
couple of months.
Peace
and love
Q
