Q#99 - December 2014 - January 2015

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Q’s Compilations

Volume #99 December 2014 – January 2015

2014 was a pretty shitty year by just about any measure of which I can think. New York lost its best music venue (Death By Audio) amongst others, not to mention various record shops, restaurants, dive bars, etc. The year ended with the tragic death of Mikey Hodges aka Pop Zeus, who opened the previous mix I made. Mikey was I think the first musician I plucked up the courage to talk to after moving to New York and he was excited and appreciative to see me at shows (I saw the band a bunch of times). I didn’t know him well, but enough to know he was a genuinely sweet human being. 2015 just can’t be as miserable… I hope!

Mercifully, however, there was still enough good music to pull me through the year. I feel like melody came back in 2014, trebly guitars and finely crafted tunes were on my radar again.

01) Curtis Harding - Next Time: My favourite record of the year was Curtis’ debut, Soul Power. I nominated it for Free Williamsburg’s album of the year list and wrote the following: “The seemingly impossible was made possible this year: a contemporary artist creates a classic soul record without sounding derivative. Whilst listening to most soul music of the last couple of decades you would think “this is the Marvin song… there’s Otis… obviously Curtis Mayfield here…”, etc. Soul Power has a confident swagger and pushes all the right buttons, from the reflective “Next Time” to the foot-stomping “Keep On Shining,” aficionados will love how Harding can straddle both smoother and gritty soul whilst also not being afraid to rock things up, handing out an understated vocal masterclass throughout.”

02) Tweens - Bored in the City: My second favourite album of the year was Tweens’ self-titled debut, with a brash attitude but infectious power-pop hooks. Bored in the City opens the record which doesn’t let up from start to finish.

03) Half Japanese - In Its Pull: Comeback kings of the year go to Half Japanese with their Overjoyed album, their first in 13 years. Jad and David Fair formed Half Japanese in 1975. There’s something about that chugging bass and out of tune distorted guitar that just sounds perfect.

04) Ty Segall - It's Over: Did Ty Segall really only release one album in 2014? Ignoring the fact that Manipulator is more of a double album anyway, it usually seems like the man never stops. While Manipulator doesn’t shift from his garage-rock template, it does seem a bit more focused than other releases and may be his best work to date.

05) Goat – Goatslaves: Swedish psyche-rockers Goat released Commune in September, and continues the good work laid down by 2012’s World Music, albeit with a slightly more reined in production. The band excel as a live unit especially and I was lucky to catch them in the summer, don’t miss them if they play near you.

06) La Hell Gang - Inside My Fall: Chilean psychedelic music has flourished in the last decade or so (see my Chilean special mix of Q#89), and La Hell Gang finally followed up 2009’s Just What Is Real with Thru Me Again, signing to the Brooklyn-based Mexican Summer label in the US.

07) Peter Matthew Bauer - Latin American Ficciones: Former Walkmen Peter Matthew Bauer released one of the best albums in the truest sense in 2014 with Liberation! Another Mexican Summer artist, the record really works as a whole and is one of those albums you just want to actually sit down and listen to without doing anything else. I also interviewed Peter for Free Williamsburg. “A bad dream is so good”

08) Withered Hand – Horseshoe: Another record that deserves attention from start-to-finish is New Gods, with pop-hooks and plenty of folk-tinged sadness. Sometimes you just need perfectly constructed songs and Dan Wilson knows just how to knock them up. “I've been drinking, when I drink it's like I just cannot see, that you were waiting up for me”

09) Matt Kivel – Insignificance: Speaking of singer-songwriters, Matt Kivel followed up 2013’s sombre acoustic Double Exposure with the more electric, but still sombre Days of Being Wild. Listening to both records back-to-back shows them to be great compliments to the other.

10) Springtime Carnivore - Other Side of the Boundary: I first saw Springtime Carnivore opening for La Sera (Greta Morgan was also in the live band for La Sera at the time) and I remember her playing this song which completely floored me. The self-titled record didn’t come out until the end of the year but was worth the wait. For full disclosure, this song in particular is not representative of the record, which features lush pop tunes more akin to Phil Spector-produced arrangements, but there’s something about this song that really got me. “I’m the answer to your strange equation, that you haven’t figured out yet. You may never solve it”

11) Beck - Heart is a Drum: I dig Beck, and like many, fell in love with Sea Change from 2002, he finally released another record of that ilk with Morning Phase. The record might not hit those heady heights, but if it doesn’t, it comes pretty close, it’s just an immaculately crafted and lovely record. “Everyone, if they drown from the undertow. Need to find someone to show me how to play it slow. And just let it go”

12) Steve Gunn - Milly's Garden: Way Out Weather seems like a bit of a breakthrough record for Steve Gunn, who has been quietly releasing top notch folk records since 2007. Way Out Weather is more band-oriented and Steve seems more comfortable as a vocalist, the record should make its way onto many best-of 2014 list, if they’ve managed to hear it at least.

13) Sharon Van Etten - You Know Me Well: Fellow Ditmas Park resident Sharon Van Etten followed up 2012’s much-loved Tramp with Are We There and it seems like she can do little wrong. There were some great lyrical records this year, but I think the actual line of 2014 must come from Every Time the Sun Comes Up (which I used on Q#96) with the fantastic “I washed your dishses but I shit in your bathroom”, the rest of the record is just as good. “We're as empty as a brick house that we
Built without the sides”

14) La Sera - Fall In Place: Vivian Girls broke up in February of 2014, which was a shame (though they hadn’t released a record in three years), but if it means bass-player and seemingly all-round superhuman Katy Goodman gets to do more La Sera records then that’s fine with me. I’m a sucker for Peter Buck-esque guitar arpeggios and Fall In Place must be the best example in a long time. Hour of the Dawn was truly one of my favourite records of the year.

15) Fear of Men – Luna: The UK only represent three entries in this mix, which is a shame, but I guess we didn’t really do so well this year musically. Although having said that, it’s probably been the case for a while. Regardless, Brighton’s Fear Of Men really did release an album worthy of any best-of list with Loom.

16) Allo Darlin' - Kings and Queens: I had no idea who Allo Darlin’ were until they popped up as a “suggested page” on Facebook, so I guess those things do work from time to time! I heard a couple of songs and noticed they were playing Glasslands (RIP) that week, so I went along and they were great, I also bought their three records. It’s usually a good sign when you turn up to a gig and you see people from The Big Takeover there. Sure, this is probably a bit twee for some, but if you like twee, this is the band for you.

17) Doug Gillard - Parade On: I suspect the most under-appreciated record of the year is Doug Gillard’s Parade On album, which is chock-full of power-pop melodies that shows exactly why he ends up in so many great bands (Guided By Voices, Nada Surf, etc).

18) Black Wine – Rime: I’m lining up three bands on the Don Giovanni record label in a row now, it wouldn’t be a best-of-the-year list without their representation. First up is New Jersey’s Black Wine, who release Yell Boss in August, a little more aggressive than their previous records, this is almost Fugazi-like in places.

19) Brick Mower - Shitty Parade: One of the best album titles of the year has to be Teenage Graceland, which sees Brick Mower go a bit more gritty and lo-fi than previous album My Hateable Face. “And I had the greatest summer, so I’m told”

20) Priests - Right Wing: Bodies and Control and Money and Power was unfairly left off many a year-end-list due to it being an EP, their live set at Death By Audio in November was one of the best of the year as well. I’ll be seeing the band again in February for Screaming Females’ record release show at the Knitting Factory.

21) Roomrunner - Ms. DNA: Ideal Cities was my favourite album of 2013 and the band kept their momentum going with their Separate EP, which is a bit more melody-driven than the record, but with the same bone-crunching riffs.

22) King Tuff - Eddie's Song: I can’t help but think of Thin Lizzy when I hear this song, but I mean that in the best way. Black Moon Spell is another fine album in the King Tuff cannon, I’m not sure the guy can write a band song. I usually end mixes on downer songs (I’m sure that says something about me) but this seemed like the perfect closing track.

And there you have it! There are some notable absentees, mostly for time constraints, Sun Kil Moon’s Benji being the most obvious casualty, yes it is a better record than most that made this mix, but I just couldn’t place a track from it, nothing seemed to fit.

Until next time, and here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful 2015.

Peace and love - Q 

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Q#95 - April - May 2014

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Q’s Compilations

Volume #95 April – May 2014

Greetings! I hope everyone is well, especially now that we’re starting to get the odd nice day of weather. This compilation features quite a few different nationalities and I hope there is something for everyone to like.

01) The Rollers - Knockin' at the Wrong Door: I just picked up a stash of releases from the Numero label after they put up a pop-up shop a few weekends ago. This song opens the Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts Of Deep City compilation, which as usual has some incredible material.

02) Curtis Harding - Keep on Shining: Finally a contemporary artist who gets old school soul without necessarily sounding derivative. Curtis has just released his debut album, Soul Power, on the ubiquitous Burger Records. He’s playing a couple of shows in NYC in June and I am looking forward to catching at least one of them.

03) King Khan & the Shrines - Bite My Tongue: I had earmarked this song for the last couple of compilations but couldn’t quite squeeze it on, which isn’t a bad thing because it slots perfectly into this mix. I saw King Khan & the Shrines back at the end of October and it was one of those gigs where I didn’t know much of the material but was blown away. If you get the chance to see them live then do so. A great combination of soul, big band, R&B and rock.

04) Screaming Females - Rotten Apples: Screaming Females are another excellent band from the DIY scene in New Brunswick, New Jersey and are signed to Don Giovanni records. Marissa Paternoster is a brilliant guitarist, not to mention refreshing in a time where guitar solos seem to be unfashionable. There are many bands that are fantastic live, and then there are a small handful of bands at the very top of the game, Screaming Females are one of those.

05) Beverly - Honey Do (demo): A record-store-day purchase was the Non-Violent Femmes­ compilation on Kanine Records. I saw Beverly play recently opening for Fear of Men and enjoyed their sludgey sound, the band includes Frankie Rose although she was not present in the live lineup.

06) Withered Hand - Black Tambournine: Dan Wilson’s New Gods is sure to end up on many a best-of 2014 list, the record flirts between catchy pop songs like this one and more sombre folk moments.

07) Nueva Costa – Amanece: Yet another wonderful artist from Chile, El Gran Espíritu is the first full-length from Nueva Costa and is on the utterly incredible Blow Your Mind record label. This song has a hypnotic bassline.

08) Boogarins – Erre: Another South American band, this time we look to Brazil and Boogarins’ 60s inspired psyche rock. Signed to Other Music in the US, I saw an instore performance at the record shop of the same name and duly bought the album, As Plantas Que Curam.  

09) Goat - Let it Bleed (live): I was really disappointed to miss Goat when they played in New York last year, but can thankfully make up for it as they are playing again next month. I’ve taken from their live album (recorded at London’s Electric Ballroom) which sees the Swedish band in utterly inspired form.

10) Miss Garrison - Whisky Boy: Let’s head back to Chile again now, and not surprisingly, Santiago, Miss Garrison formed in 2008 and have two records to their name. This track is taken from their latest, deAaB. I saw them at the Paperbox this month and they are superb, and there’s something even more impressive with drummers who can sing, as Francisca Straube does in Miss Garrison. This song, and the album, certainly has a Radiohead influence to it.

11) Nothing – Dig: There’s a lot to talk that doesn’t involve the music when it comes to Nothing, frontman Domenic Palermo spent time in prison for a stabbing incident while in previous band Horror Show among other things. But it’s really the music that matters and Nothing’s album Guilty of Everything is an impressive and intense dose of dark shoegazing rock. Dig is probably the standout track but definitely check out the record if you like what you hear.

12) His Electro Blue Voice - Sea Bug: It’s time to head to Italy now (Como, to be precise) for His Electro Blue Voice, whose debut album, Ruthless Sperm was released on Sub Pop last year and is a wind tunnel of a time. Singer/guitarist Francisca Straube makes Bob Mould sound like a teddy bear.

13) Solids - Off White: I wrote about Solids here (http://mysocialist.com/blog/2014/03/12/sxsw-artist-to-watch-solids/) and caught their set at Mercury Lounge in March. For a two-piece they make an impressive racket. Hailing from Montreal (who have quietly been churning out some great bands in the last few years), Solids should appeal to those who like their guitars scuzzy and grungy.

14) Unwound - Stuck in the Middle of Nowhere Again: Sometimes you hear a band from years gone by and wonder how you never heard them first time around, Unwound are one of those bands. Part of a major re-issue project courtesy of Numero, the Olympia (Washington) 90s band have barely been off my record player this month. This track appears on the first Unwound boxset, Kid is Gone.

15) Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody - I Used to Live for Music: Time to go home to Oxford. Adam Franklin is of course best known for Swervedriver, but he seems to be one of those people who will release good music no matter what the project. Black Horses was released last year and I managed to pick the vinyl up for a bargain $5 recently. Musically this project is much more melodic than Swervedriver.

16) HOUNDSds - Conduct1: HOUNDSds is essentially a solo venture of Patrick McIntyre, who writes and records all the music himself. This track really reminds me of The Church (no bad thing at all). You can download the music at a “name your price” on bandcamp: http://houndsds.bandcamp.com/

17) Fear of Men - Green Sea: Loom will be another album sure to threaten the end of year lists, I’ve used the band previously, of course, but Loom is their debut full length and really fulfils the promise they’ve had up to now. I saw the band three times last month and they always put on a great show as well, they come from Brighton, England.

18) Matt Kivel – Tetro: I saw LA-based singer/songwriter Matt Kivel at Glasslands last month and he really impressed, this track opens his last album Double Exposure which I bought at the show. He already has a new album out soon on Woodsist called Days of Being Wild.

19) The Besnard Lakes - People of the Sticks: The second band from Montreal on this mix, I loved 2010’s The Roaring Lakes but then the band went off my radar a little bit until I noticed latest album (released in 2013) Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO in a $5 bargain bin, it maybe doesn’t have the depth of the previous album but it is a nice addition and definitely rewards multiple listens.

20) Josefus - Crazy Man: Yet another Numero purchase, and another departure from their usual soul re-issues, I bought this on a whim based on the sticker which promised a lost masterpiece of 70s hard rock, it isn’t quite that good but it certainly deserves more than obscurity.

21) Beach Day - Am I the Only One: I saw Beach Day last month and instantly fell for their sunny 60s girl group pop, this is my favourite track on Trip Trap Attack and probably would have been a huge hit if they’d have arrived before Best Coast. Listen really carefully to those harsh My Bloody Valentine-ish sounds that live just below the surface of the song.

22) Lou Ragland - What Should I Do: Lou Ragland has lived quite the life, far too much to detail here, I’ll just copy and paste the first  sentence from Numero’s website: O’Jays road manager, Don King prison chauffeur, window washer, house painter, Ink Spot, Domino, engineer, label owner, guitorgan technician, and one-time steward of a coveted Jet Magazine delivery route, Lou Ragland is Cleveland’s Eastside success story. Ragland possesses a classic deep soul voice and this song is pretty poignant.

I’m hoping to fit in a visit back home towards the end of June, and it’s also the World Cup and the start of the summer concerts, busy times!

Until next time

Peace and love - Q 

Q#87 - December 2012 - January 2013

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Q’s Compilations

Volume #87 – December 2012 – January 2012

Greetings! Well it’s the usual time to look back on my favourite releases of the previous 12 months. I haven’t spent a great deal of time thinking or researching this mix, I just picked what initially came to mind, it has been a pretty good year for music, I think.

01) Mrs Magician – Nightlife: Keen listeners may remember the outstanding There Is No God from Q#84. Strange Heaven is one of the most endearing records of the year and this punchy opens the record and makes for a fine tune to begin this compilation with. “Shot out like an arrow I’m as crooked as a question-mark”

02) La Sera - I Can't Keep You In My Mind: I would say that La Sera’s Sees the Light is my favourite album of the year, it’s understated and uncomplicated and unpretentious, but the songs are gorgeous and there is something about it that keeps me coming back for more. “I know you must feel lost these days, broken lovers tend to go their ways. Haunting ghosts that I can not evade until I turn grey.”

03) Nada Surf - Jules and Jim: I like a hundreds of bands, but Nada Surf has always felt like my band like no other, it was a genuine pleasure to see them three times in their hometown (even if they don’t live here anymore) this year. I love them dearly. Isn’t that last chord one of the most beautiful sounds you’ve ever heard? “Never felt such a pull before I'm hypnotized I'm destabilized”

04) Sharon Van Etten – Warsaw: A fellow Ditmas Park resident, Van Etten has seen much acclaim come her way with Tramp, and those who were a bit late to the party can now pick up a 2-CD version including demos (from which I was very close to using Magic Chords). “here, sing to yourself, tell me you want to be shown or, you only listen to an endless sea you want to be over”

05) The Men - Turn It Around: I used the title track, Open Your Heart back in April, released on Sacred Bones, the Brooklyn band are set to follow-up their good work with another record, New Moon, in March. “I wanna see you when you jump dive, I wanna see you go down, I wanna see you when you look so fine, I wanna see you when you turn it around“

06) JEFF the Brotherhood - Staring at the Wall: Brothers Jake and Jamin Orral are Jeff the Brotherhood, Hypnotic Nights is their seventh album and was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. “One girl said to me, Would you turn around and die”

07) King Tuff - Bad Thing: When you listen to a lot of music it’s easy for things to slip through the net unnoticed when you first hear them, maybe you weren’t in the right mood, or maybe there was a distraction, but it happens. This song was featured on a free sub-pop compilation on record store day back in April, which I listened to a few times. Fast forward a few months and King Tuff releases one of the best albums of the year. “Now I’m going rotten, I’m turnin’ green, ‘cause I’m a bad bad thing”

08) METZ – Headache: I saw Metz cram into a tiny record store (Generation Records) and deliver one of the most pummelling sets I have ever witnessed, their self-titled record is just as relenting. “That even can't see breathe like for me, I can't move, I can't stand, I got gotta gotta gotta, I gotta get, I gotta get away, I get away”

09) Guided By Voices - Hangover Child: 2012 was quite the year for GBV fans, with three albums (their first for 8 years) and a string of shows, while Robert Pollard also released two solo albums. This song appears on The Bears for Lunch and was debuted when I saw them in Central Park on an absolutely sweltering day in the summer. “Hangover child, save your breath, In the way that you’re starring to the face of despairing, You care.”

10) Rush - The Wreckers: Clockwork Angels saw Rush reinvigorated after 2007’s lacklustre Snakes and Arrows (see my review here: http://someothersuckersparade.blogspot.com/2012/07/rush-clockwork-angels-review.html). “All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary of a miracle too good to be true, All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary everything in life you thought you knew, All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary, 'cause sometimes the target is you”

11) Bob Mould - Silver Age: Another artist who rolled back the years was Bob Mould with Silver Age, inspired by the 20^th anniversary of Sugar’s Copper Blue, Silver Age taps into that power-trio style that has served him so well over the years. “This is how I'm gonna spend my days, Gonna fight, gonna fuck, gonna feed, Gonna walk away “

12) Chromatics - The Page: I used The River back on Q#84, this is another standout track from Kill For Love, which can be purchased for a bargain $5 on the Italians Do It Better website. “like the pages of the book i'd never get to write, on the eastside of the city, where the ink is running dry, and if you love me like you say, take this book and burn the page, the rain will wash away the ashes, On the eastside of my heart”

13) Mark Lanegan - Harborview Hopsital: I’ve waxed lyrical about Lanegan’s whisky-drenched voice many times over the course of these mixes, Harborview Hospital manages to contain it in a soaring dreamscape of electronica. “Are they supposed to be as sick as you and me?”

14) Amanda Palmer - Grown Man Cry: Palmer gained a lot of attention this year with the enormous success of her kickstarter campaign, which raised over a million dollars to fund the recording and tour for Theatre Is Evil (I paid for the deluxe version of the album). After all the hype it would have been a bit of a letdown if the music wasn’t actually any good, and thankfully it is, the songs are varied and have depth. “We are standing on the threshold, Of a decent conversation, When I can hear the door slam, I know the face you're making”

15) Animal Collective – Moonjock: It was an almost impossible task to follow up Merriweather Post Pavilion but 10,000Hz is a fine album and it was great to see them live at the end of the year. “And there's no way to remind me of pacific plates or what the text was, No better way to remind me of sun heated seats then "love me do" was”

16) Goat – Goathead: They don’t sound like it, but Goat are from Sweden and produce a fantastic afrobeat fuzz freakout. There aren’t many things better than a screaming guitar solo, turn the volume UP on this one.

17) Carina Round - Girl and the Ghost: I used Set Fire on Q#83 and this is other standout track for me on Tigermending. “Shards of broken dreams, Stuck in your hands, Pick the pieces out put them back, together as best you can”

18) Ken Stringfellow - 110 or 220v: Danzig in the Moonlight may seem like a somewhat throwaway pun-tastic album title but make no mistake about it, the record is filled with Ken’s usual deep and sincere songs pulled from the depth of his being. There are probably better songs on the record, but I love the vocal and lyrics. “Reality is subject to cancellation”

19) Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves: This is the title track to Mark Kozelek’s latest release (though he has a new covers album out soon) and was billed as a slightly low-key and at times humorous, which it often is, but there are also some of his trademarks such as this number. “On afternoons I walk the graves, The rusted cars, the mine shaft caves, See a girl sadly unkempt, a child of neglect Under moons I pass the tombs, Cross the highways, smell the fumes, See a girl frighteningly gaunt, somebody didn't want, How do I tell her I don't care, if she sleeps downstairs?“

20) Grizzly Bear - Yet Again: Following up Veckatimest must have felt like a near impossible task, the band haven’t changed formula much with Shields but there was certainly no need to! “Keep score, even playing fields this game, I know when all’s said we’re the same, If I could I would leave it all be, No chance to move backwards and see“

21) Dum Dum Girls - Season in Hell: I saw Dum Dum Girls twice in 2012, first at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in February and then at an in-store performance at Other Music, promoting their EP, End of Daze, which this song closes. “Anything we should know about your change?
From shots, broken hearts, tears from desert eyes, Something new is dreamed, A confession's not a cure, There's always darkness to endure, On the path to be redeemed “

22) Ty Segall Band - Wave Goodbye: I think the easiest way to write about this song is to quote how it ends. FUCK YEAH!

Until next time

Peace and love - Q