Q#132 - June to July 2020

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

 Download mix from: https://www.mediafire.com/file/fb2q8b91nrcp7qr/Q#132.zip/file

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes - NOTE that Ultra Major, Still Form, Julius Wright and Nada Surf songs are NOT on Spotify.

Q's Compilations

Vol #132 – June to July 2020

 

Well it’s almost August, football came back and went, and my beloved Oxford United managed to lose a playoff final, 2020 is the year that just keeps on giving. I completed another orbit around the sun, despite most things still being bad it’s incredibly depressing that the rest of the US didn’t seem to learn anything from what we’ve gone through in New York, I’ve got a mix of almost entirely new music. Hopefully you’ll find a smidge of joy from this.  

 

01) Bob Mould – American Crisis: Blue Hearts is the name of Bob Mould’s latest studio album, out on Merge Records on the 25^th of September, this is the lead single and it’s pretty evident that he has a lot to be angry about!

 

02) The Beths – I’m Not Getting Excited: Future Me Hates Me was my favourite album of 2018, I probably hadn’t played an album as much as that in years. Two years on from that stunning debut, the New Zealanders have just released Jump Rope Gazers which on first couple of plays has just as much charm and melody as the debut.

 

03) Silver Sun – Earth Girls are Easy: Brit power-pop act Silver Sun released two truly excellent albums in 1997 (self-titled) and 1998 (Neo Wave), and have since offered some sporadic output and are generally off the radar. I was delighted to see that they’d released a new album this April (their first in seven years) called Switzerland, and

 

04) Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Falling Thunder: This Aussie band released their second album, Sideways to New Italy, in June, via Sub Pop, and it’s another pleasant jangle-fest much like their debut.

 

05) Gladie – Is That Why You’re Here: Remember concerts? The last one I went to was on the 5^th of March and happened to be Gladie, who had just released their debut album, Safe Sins. Last month they released a three-song EP called Orange Peels and this track is the opener.

 

06) Shamir – On My Own: I bought Shamir’s entire discography on bandcamp during one of their promotional Fridays, I’ve liked his music over the years without dipping in too deeply and felt like I should rectify that, specifically so after hearing this song that was released in the middle of June. I’ve still got plenty to go back and hear!

 

07) Bethany Thomas – I’m Not Sorry and I’m Not Scared: Chicago-based artist Bethany Thomas is releasing her debut album BT​/​She​/​Her on the 28^th of August, this is the first single and I liked it enough to put on! She has a great voice, though I could do without some of the extracurricular vocals as they’re a little off-putting, but I’m looking forward to hearing what the rest of the record has in store.

 

08) Moor Jewelry – Look Alive: Moor Jewelry is a collaboration between Moor Mother and Mental Jewelry and they just put out True Opera which you can get on bandcamp (or on cassette, I guess that’s still a thing), it’s one of my favourite records of the year and a little hard to pigeonhole but there’s plenty of hardcore elements which are just great.

 

09) Nnamdi – Rage: Another Chicago artist, I was tipped onto him by the Numero Group and picked up his “Black Plight” EP that he put out in June, he also plays everything to an impressive degree.

 

10) Shrapknel – Gun Metal Paint: New York hip-hop duo Shrapknel put out an excellent self-titled record on Backwoodz Studio in March, the lyrics here don’t pull any punches.

 

11) Bully – Where to Start: Grunge revivalists Bully are set to release a new record called Sugaregg in August on Sub Pop and this is the lead single.

 

12) Ultra Major – Picture Perfect: This track jumped out at me from a compilation I bought on bandcamp, which happens to be about 7 hours long, which is far, far too long to pay attention to and took me about a month to listen to everything once. This New York band have a record from 2018 and a couple of singles.

 

13) Still Form – Gums: I have been a fan of Portland band Marriage and Cancer for a few years but I think they’ve broken up now (terrible-band name, admittedly), members of that band plus a few other local acts have created Still Form, who put out a 5-track EP in April this year. Stylistically it’s in the same arty noise/punk form that Marriage and Cancer excelled at so I’ll be hoping there is more material in the future.

 

14) Look Sacre - Mal nécessaire pour un mal nécess: Four years ago I spent a long weekend in Montreal and had a lovely time. As I always try to do, I looked over concert listings and remembered that a friend recommended anyone should go to the venue Casa Del Popolo, so without knowing who was playing we went along. I remember liking Look Sacre and bookmarked their bandcamp page as soon as I got home, but didn’t spent a huge amount of time thinking about them, I should dive in a bit more after listening to this!

 

15) Julius Wright – I Pray The Things Will Change: Another tune from that 7-hour compilation I mentioned earlier, and given that all the tracks were not tagged properly, I have very little information about this artist. I can only find information about this song and another tune called Lonely Girl. Anyway, great song, if you know anything about it then let me know!

 

16) DEHD – Loner: Here’s another band from Chicago, the trio just released Flower of Devotion in the middle of July on Fire Talk. It’s an instantly accessible record filled with reverb-heavy pop hooks, very much a continuation of what they were doing with previous record, Water (from 2019).

 

17) Nada Surf – Sick Day: Fountains of Wayne were always one of those bands I always knew I would like, if I ever got round to listening to them, unfortunately Adam Schlesinger died due to Covid in April, so I’ve only gotten into his music after this death, sadly. A tribute album called Saving for a Custom Van has been raising money for MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund. There are some excellent artists on the record so head over to bandcamp and buy it.

 

18) Matt Berry – Something In My Eye: I’ve been watching What We Do in the Shadows on Hulu and just finished season one, turns out Matt Berry (Laszlo in the show) is also a pretty good musician and is about to release a new album called Phantom Birds in September.

 

19) King Tuff – I’m Free: This tune was originally written for and appeared on Ty Segall’s Freedom Goblin album, in February King Tuff decided to release his own version, and as you can imagine, it’s good!

 

20) Fake Eyes – Demonstrations: This four-piece from Charlotte, NC, had put out a couple of excellent demos in 2018 and 2019, and have just released their first official EP called A Drip Is All We Know on New Morality Zine, it’s only 4 tracks but packs a punch and if you dig the new (or old…) Hum albums (more on them imminently) or any heavy-shoegaze then you will love this.

 

21) Hum – The Summoning: Speaking of Hum and heavy shoegaze, and another Chicago band (what is it with this mix…), the band just released their first album in 22 years, though it was recorded over a period of 2017-2020. It barely gets out of second gear over the course of an hour but it doesn’t need to, the production is so great and really pulls you in.

 

Keep being safe!

 

As always, Peace and Love - Q

 

Q#131 - April to May 2020

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/htw1gr33t1nhsai/Q%23131.zip/file

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes - NOTE that METZ, Bailter Space and Del Amitri are not on spotify.

Q's Compilations

Vol #131 – April to May 2020

I’m not going to be able to say anything profound about the pandemic that is still a worldwide problem, I think I’m writing these at the start of week 11 of our “quarantine” in New York City, although I have been getting out for exercise, I think many of us here (and in the UK) forget that a lot of countries put down much tough restrictions. So many have suffered and are continuing to do so

01) METZ – Slow Decay: To help musicians out during the Covid-19 crisis, Bandcamp are doing a very nice thing by waving their revenue share on three days (1^st of May, 5^th of June and 3^rd of July), while scouring for some things I wanted to buy, it dawned on me that METZ had a record that I did not own a physical copy of (albeit Automat is a compilation of non-album tracks), and while I was at it I purchased their new 2-song release digitally, and it’s hard not to open with it.

02) The Reflectors – Act a Fool: LA powerpop act The Reflectors might sound like they’re from the 70s but debut album First Impression is a hoot. Bright and shiny melodies with breezy vocals, it’s hard not to love. You can get this on Burger Records in the US.

03) Savak – Vis-à-vis: During the lockdown I’ve been doing some “On this Day” posts on Facebook since I’m a bit of a saddo and have kept a spreadsheet of all the shows I’ve been to (which will have an impact on other songs on this mix), I was actually at Savak’s first ever show on the 20^th of May 2015 at Cake Shop (I do miss that place). The band have just released their fourth album Rotting Teeth in the Horse’s Mouth and it’s another fine record, and they’ve probably got one of the low-key best local discography’s in the last four years or so, although they’ve all played in some excellent bands over the years, so you’d expect it!

04) Virginia Trance – High: I had forgotten that I used a Virginia Trance track last time around (Hello Lou Reed), but this one has a bit more BPM to it, the record Vincent’s Playlist is well worth your time.

05) Mike Polizze – Revelation: Purling Hiss mainman Mike Polizze is due to release his debut solo record, Long Lost Solace Find, on the 31^st of July, and it’s the kind of solo shift you want to see, being fairly far removed from the shredding and feedback heavy solos of Purling Hiss. If this tune is indicative of the rest of the album then I’m excited to hear it.

06) Harkin – Mist on Glass: Harkin’s self-titled debut came out at the end of April via Hand Mirror Records. She has played an excellent supporting role over the years, playing as a touring member of Sleater-Kinney, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett to name a few. The album doesn’t invoke any of those artists, having more of an 80s goth-pop tinge to it with enough modernity for it to be it’s own thing.

07) Field Music – Money is a Memory: Another recent bandcamp purchase was Field Music’s latest record, Making a New World, which is their seventh album and was released in January. It’s their first concept record and is about the after-effects of world war one. It’s a pretty coherent piece and rattles through pretty quickly with 19 tracks only taking 42-mintues in total. This tune is classic Field Music, with that XTC snap in full effect.

08) Madness – Embarrassment: I had tickets to see Madness in May which was obviously postponed (until 2021), so I thought I’d just throw this classic on the mix.

09) Gum Country – Somewhere: Kean ears may notice the sound of The Courtneys in this tune, that’s because ½ of Gum Country is Courtney Garvin of The Courtneys, the other half being multi-instrumentalist Connor Mayer. Their new album, Somewhere, is coming out on the 19^th of June.

10) Pure X – Fantasy: Austin, Texas band Pure X return with their first album in six years, and their self-titled comeback is the sort of easy-going, desert breeze that we could all probably use, filled with tunes that feel like a weed halo is above you.

11) Bailterspace – Concrete Square 3: Speaking of comebacks, New Zealand greats low-key threw up some new tracks (their first in seven years?) on bandcamp, hopefully there’ll be a new record!

12) Mint Field – Ella Se Queda: Another recent bandcamp purchase, I loved their 2018 full-length Pasar de las Luces and wanted to support them further so purchased their latest EP, 2019’s Mientras Esperas, which has a bit more drive to it. They put out a single in April so hopefully a new album beckons. Having previously been based in Tijuana, they now reside in Mexico City.

13) Adelaida – Mundo: You should all know I love Chilean bands, this act appeared back on Q#103 (August/September 2015), hailing from Valparaíso, which is a coastal city about 75 miles north-west of Santiago. Their latest album, Animita, was released in April.

14) Flores Silvestres – Born From Dawn: Another Chilean band, this time from Santiago, “Silver Flowers” just released their first album in April and it hits that classic (I think the scene has been going long enough to call it classic) Chilean psych rock sound. The record is called How the Story Goes.

15) The Men – Children All Over the World: One of New York’s finest, The Men released their eighth album, Mercy, this year, and it generally mixes between rockers and delicate folk tunes, basically doing whatever they want, like they always have. This tune has a big 80s feel to it for sure.

16) Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – Talk About the Weather: During my “on this day” flashbacks I was reminded that I hadn’t really thought of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry much since I saw them back in April 2008, their music still holds up and I just had an urge to throw this song on.

17) Counting Crows – Children in Bloom: Another OTD-inspired song, I saw Counting Crows on the 15^th of May 1997 and it was a really spectacular show that still seems very vivid. For those first two records they couldn’t really do much wrong, I remember this song in particular from the show and it always stuck with me.

18) Sleater Kinney – The Swimmer: All Hands on the Bad One turned 20 on the 2^nd of May. What a great record, again, just something I felt like throwing on.

19) Aimee Mann – Deathly: Another record that just turned 20 (also on the 2^nd of May) is Bachelor No. 2, so naturally I just felt compelled to use a track.

20) Del Amitri – Just Getting’ By: Probably the best news in a very trying year so far is that Del Amitri have just recorded a new album that will be released in January 2021, it will be their first album since 2002’s Can You Do Me Good, which this song closes, so I just felt like using it.

As always, Peace and Love - Q

NOTE NOT ALL THE SONGS ARE ON SPOTIFY!!!!

Q#130 - February to March 2020

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/6t72i3g1a3wtjq4/Q%23130.zip/file 

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes.

Q's Compilations

Vol #130 – February to March 2020

Blimey. It has been quite the eventful start to the year, and almost entirely bad! I don’t have any particular words of wisdom during the corona pandemic other than listen to the science, stay inside and be rational. I finished this mix up before things started going particularly crazy!

01) Rush - The Spirit of Radio: Just one of the other terrible events that started the year off, Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart died in January after suffering from brain cancer for three years. A deeply private person, the news came as a shock and remains hard to process. This live version of Spirit of Radio was released on the 40^th anniversary of Permanent Waves.

02) Eyelids - The Accidental Falls: Members of Eyelids have worked with Decemberists, Elliott Smith, Stephen Malkmus and were also Robert Pollard‘s backing band as Boston Spaceships. This is the title-track to their most recent album, and like their previous EP, was produced by Peter Buck of REM-fame, the record itself is excellent and I made sure to buy it during Bandcamp’s recent waving of their fee so that musicians got more money.

03) Nada Surf - So Much Love: I recently saw Nada Surf for the 21^st time, promoting their new album Never Not Together. There is a dedication to Ric Ocasek of The Cars, who produced their debut album (1996’s Let Go) and died in 2019, and as well as the written dedication there’s certainly a big influence in many tracks on the album itself (they also covered Just What I Needed at recent shows).

04) Seratones – Power: I had the pleasure of catching Seratones play a show at Rough Trade in January, the groups second album, Power is more of a classic soul record with, as the title suggests, plenty of punch to it. In classic soul style, a tight and highly skilled band drives the songs but are ultimately a platform for front-woman AJ Haynes to steal the show, she should be a star.

05) Caroline Rose - Feel the Way I Want: Superstar is Caroline Rose’s fourth album, and her slickest to date. This tune is the lead single from the record and has the kind of effortless swagger and pop-sensibility that everyone could use right now.

06) The Wants – Container: Guitarist/producer Madison Velding-VanDam has been busy the last few years, playing guitar in Bodega and now fronting The Wants. This is the title track from their debut album and the post-punk-white-boy rhythm on this tune stood out for me. The record is pretty strong in general and jumps through a few styles, recommended if you like any of those classic post-punk sounds of the early 80s.

07) Fat Tony - Get Out of My Way: Two years after the excellent 10,000 Hours, Houston rapper Fat Tony has just released Wake Up. The record is full of collaboration but it’s the tracks he takes the lead on that stand out the most for me.

08) Destroyer - It Just Doesn't Happen: We’re probably at the point where we shouldn’t call Destroyer “Dan Bejar of The New Pornographers’ band”, the discography at this point. Dan’s been on a bit of a roll for a while now and Have We Met is the twelfth Destroyer album and has an overt 80s influence that works wonderfully. 

09) Gladie - A Place for Different: Philly punks Cayetana called it a day last year and Gladie is the latest band from frontwoman Augusta Koch. Following up an EP from 2018, the band just released debut full-length Safe Sins. There’s a greater emphasis on melody and a little electronic percussion but Koch’s lyrics are as personable as ever.

10) Deeper - Lake Song: Chicago quartet Deeper first featured on Q#121 back in 2018, and the band are set to release their second album Auto-Pain on the 27^th of March (I’ve pre-ordered it). Based on the strength of the songs they’ve released so far, and that I heard them play live, it could end up being one of my favourite releases of the year.

11) Drab Majesty – Elipsis: I was looking through some old bookmarks trying to find some final inspiration to round off this mix and stumbled upon Drab Majesty (I have no idea when I bookmarked the bandcamp page) and the 80s pop sound seemed to fit well. This track is taken from Modern Mirror which was released last July.

12) Video Nasties - Drone Eagle: My good friend Andrew Field has been putting out records with foundation-shaking riffs for a couple of years now (https://apfrecords.bandcamp.com/) and the latest release on APF Records is Video Nasties’ new record Dominion. It’s a cracker, with the odd horror-synth influence to go with the in-your-face guitars and drums.

13) Soul Asylum - Spinnin': I probably hadn’t listened to Soul Asylum in over a decade but saw they were playing a show at Bowery Ballroom in February and thought… why not, I’d never seen them before. I always had a soft-spot for them growing up and while it was a bit of a nostalgia check-box, I’m glad I went and reconnected with a band that I hadn’t given much thought of for a while. This song opens the band’s fifth album, 1990’s And the Horse They Rode In On.

14) Virginia Trace - Hello Lou Reed: This tune is the lead single from Vincent's Playlist, which isn’t due out until May and the obvious influence for the lyrics and the music is in the title. Anyone or anything related to Chile’s Blow Your Mind Records will always prick my ears.

15) Aaron Lee Tasjan - Heart Slows Down: I hadn’t heard of Aaron Lee Tasjan until I saw him opening solo for Nada Surf at the start of the year, his demeanour and songs were an instant hit and diving into his back catalogue was a treat.

16) Anna Calvi (ft Courtney Barnett) - Don't Beat the Girl Out of My Boy: Anyone that lets me talk long enough at any point since July 2009 will have heard me rave about Anna Calvi. She’s not the most prolific artist but everything she releases is solid gold. Following 2018’s Hunter, Calvi went back and revisited some rough versions of those songs and opened them up for some collaboration with the likes of Courtney Barnett on this song.

17) Fog Lake - New York: Aaron Powell just has a knack of concocting lo-fi melancholia that always leaves you wanting more. You may remember I’ll Be Around from Q#126 and this is just as gorgeous. Sadly the corona virus has led to the cancelation of his show at Rough Trade in April (and I’m shocked that’s the first time I’ve written that sentence in these notes as it also applies to at least four other acts on this mix I had plans to see).

18) A Winged Victory for the Sullen – The Slow Descent Has Begun: The Undivided Five is A Winged Victory for the Sullen’s third full studio album and was released last November. It’s hard to say anything new about the ambient/neo-classical duo, they simply excel in the genre.

19) Shell of a Shell - Don't Expect: Nashville act Shell of a Shell just put out their debut album Away Team on Exploding in Sound Records (which happens to the be label’s 100^th release) and it is a complete triumph. Led by Chappy Hull, who has been playing guitar in the band Pile since 2018, it’s certainly in the same ballpark as Pile and highly recommended for fans of the band. This track has a little bit of everything that you get on the album rolled into one epic song.

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#129 - December 2019 to January 2020

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/7i6taigze1xwzrc/Q129.zip/file 

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes.

Q's Compilations

Vol #129 – December 2019 to January 2020

Hello 2020. A new decade… unfortunately it hasn’t started very well! Regardless, the first comp of the year is, as always, a recap of my favourite things from the previous year.

01) White Reaper - Real Long Time: If there’s one thing I look for every year it’s an unadulterated, no holds barred fun pop-rock record and the best of those this year is White Reaper’s You Deserve Love. Two years on from The World’s Best American Band, the band are now on a major label (Elektra) but there’s no sign of any pitfalls that sometimes come with a major-debut, the band have always been pop. You Deserve Love is a triumph of harmonised guitars and anthemic choruses, if there’s any change then it’s a little more Thin Lizzy as opposed to Cheap Trick, so turn the volume up and have a good time. If you’re equally at home in the mosh-pit or a two-step sway, this is the record for you. Might Be Right featured on Q#126.

02) Sheer Mag - Hardly to Blame: I used The Killer on the previous mix and this is another excellent track from A Distant Call, their strongest record to date and an excellent live band to boot. The Killer featured in Q#128.

03) Young Guv - Luv Always: Young Guv released 2 albums in 2019 (Guv I & Guv II), this is taken from Guv 2 and flies the Teenage Fanclub influences pretty high, and that can never be a bad thing. Patterns Prevail from the same album featured in Q#127.

04) Corridor – Domino: I saw Montreal band Corridor in 2018 and was pretty mesmerised by their sound, they’ve since signed to Sub Pop and released this album, Junior, with this track being the lead single from the album (their third full length release).

05) Halfsour - All Gone: Boston trio Halfsour released their charming debut, Tuesday Night Live in 2016, it was a rocking but thin-sounding affair. Three years later and with a new drummer, Sticky is a few steps up on every level, from songwriting chops to some much needed lower-end on the production. If “college rock radio” still exists as a sub-genre that worships REM then Halfsour should be filling those airwaves. Blurred Camera featured in Q#125.

06) Jeffrey Lewis and the Voltage - Depression Despair: Prolific cult-NY-hero Jeffrey Lewis put out Bad Wiring this year, produced by Roger Moutenot, whose credits include Yo La Tengo, Lou Reed and Sleater Kinney. It’s possibly his strongest record since 2009’s ‘Em Are I.

07) Vivian Girls - Something to Do: NYC DIY icons Vivian Girls broke up in 2014 but thankfully got back together in 2019 to release what might be their best album, Memory. I also used Sick in Q127

08) Mikal Cronin – Fire: Mikal Cronin released three near-perfect garage-rock albums every two years between 2011 and 2015, so 2017 seemed like a cruel joke when the run didn’t continue. That’s not to say the four years since III were unproductive, Cronin is one of the busiest artists around and must have played on a dozen albums in the last four years. Thankfully, 2019 has given the world a little more balance with another of his solo albums, and this time he’s leaned into his inner-Neil Young (if you had to pick a record this is closest to, it would be Neil’s best – On the Beach). Trying to get over a bout of writer’s block, he turned to the tried-and-true approach of retreating to a cabin in the woods to write, unfortunately that only lasted a month due to forest fires, and the record does come ablaze more than most, but there’s certainly an earthy quality to it. Indeed the only song that screams cabin-in-the-woods is the solo-acoustic closer On the Shelf. Show Me featured on Q#128.

09) Julia Jacklin - Head Alone: I used Don't Know How to Keep Loving You on Q#128 and Crushing might be my favourite album of the year that I listened to the least (if that makes sense). I can’t wait to hear what she’ll come up with next as she seems on a real roll.

10) Jenny Lewis - Heads Gonna Roll: On the Line is Jenny Lewis’ fourth solo album, and probably her best. I used Red Bull and Hennessy on Q#126 and this track features Ringo Starr on drums (maybe you’ve heard of another band he was in).

11) Josh Ritter - I Still Love You (Now and Then): Fever Breaks came out in April, it’s his tenth studio album and it might just be my favourite. I used Old Black Magic on Q#127, this is a bit more of a standard-Ritter tune but he does have a knack of nailing a singer-songwriter chorus.

12) Laura Stevenson – Perfect: 2019 was a productive one for Laura Stevenson, she released The Big Freeze (her first album in 4 years), a Neil Young covers EP with Jeff Rosenstock and a split single with Adult Mom. This is from The Big Freeze which has a big cabin-in-the-woods vibe to it (also see Living Room NY from Q#126).

13) Wand – Wonder: California rockers Wand have been shifting towards full on psychedelia for a while now and the cycle seems complete on Laughing Matter. I used Thin Air on Q#126.

14) Oso Oso – Dig: Basking in the Glow was probably the best 90s-wannabe record I heard this year (the title track is on Q#127).

15) Have a Nice Life - Sea of Worry: I used Defenestration Song on Q#127 from their 2014 record, Unnatural World without having any idea they were set to release new music in 2019. This is the title track from their latest record and it’s a little more… normal, for want of a better word, and this one has some pretty strong post-punk vibes as opposed to the noise of previous efforts.

16) Blessed - Purpose and Conviction: While this year’s Canadian indie-darlings are Montreal’s Corridor (who we heard earlier, Junior is certainly a fine album) it’s British Columbia’s Blessed, that should walk away with the crown. The quintet quietly self-released debut album Salt in April, and it’s a record that demands to be listened to with a keen ear. The production is immaculate, whether the band’s focus is on sparse atmosphere or technically layering each player pummeling their respective instrument, something pops out each time. It’s an icey record that seemingly changes with air temperature, a masterclass in mixing pace and style from short and punchy numbers like Thought and Pill, to the proggy polyrhythms in album closer Caribou. Landing somewhere that’s in the middle of a venn diagram featuring all the best rock bands that have come out of the great white North over the decade.

17) Clipping - Nothing is Safe: Another Sub Pop to appear on this mix, There Existed an Addiction to Blood is Clipping’s third album and this song in particular sounds like a John Carpenter sound track, which is to say it is excellent.

18) Girl Band – Shoulderblades: Irish quartet Girl Band have always sounded abrasive, but The Talkies is like being on a construction site. Whether you consider this noise-rock, industrial, or whatever, it’s a monumental achievement to make a cacophony of noise so coherent. Four years after Holding Hands With Jamie, the group took a hiatus due to mental health problems, and The Talkies could well be the soundtrack to a psychological breakdown, it throbs and crashes all over the place with sawing guitar effects ringing in your ears. This description will no doubt put many off, but rest assured, this is one of the most accomplished and cathartic records you could listen to.

19) Horse Jumper of Love - Ur Real Life: Slowcore as a genre has been fairly stagnant for a while, seemingly unable to move on from the greats such as Codeine, Red House Painters, Bedhead who are long gone, and while the odd band has gotten back together (Duster), there have been precious few acts worth whispering about. Boston quartet, Horse Jumper of Love, are bastions of hope for those of us who particularly lament that Mark Kozelek has forgotten how to sing and write a melody. So Divine knows when to sparkle and when to collapse and it might be the prettiest sounding album of 2019; if you’re the kind of music fan who hears beauty in the saddest music, then the album will live up to its title. This was probably my favourite album of 2019.

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Q#128 - October to November 2019

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/2qkhgx40bxzv2tp/Q%23128.zip/file

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes.

Q's Compilations

Vol #128 – October to November 2019

Well here we are again, pretty much three weeks late. October and November were pretty busy, I got my show count up to a more respectable number (though I don’t think I’ll quite hit the 50-mark I had modestly set) and had a holiday in Oxford/London/Paris. Not shabby.

01) Superchunk - Driveway to Driveway (acoustic): To celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their best album, Superchunk decided to re-record the entire record acoustically, and it’s unsurprisingly good! I managed to catch them on tour in this setup and though I’d have preferred seeing it performed in its original state, it was a treat nonetheless.

02) Lux Prima - Turn the Light: Danger Mouse and Karen O put out a collaboration as Lux Prima back in March, which I didn’t really listen to at the time but they played a show at Kings Theatre just around the corner from my apartment so it was rude not to go. It’s an effortlessly slick record.

03) Torres - Good Scare: It has been a while since Torres released anything (record company woes I think) but she recently signed to Merge records and will have a new album out next year. She opened for Superchunk at the show I mentioned above, albeit solo-acoustic so it was hard to get a feel for the new songs like this one.

04) Tool – Pneuma: Thirteen years after 10,000 Days was released, you’d have been forgiven for thinking Tool might not release another record, but here we are. I have to admit, Fear Inoculum can sound a little boring at times and I haven’t been wowed by it yet, but I did catch them live (for the first time in twelve years) and the record did come to life in an arena.

05) Maneka - Never Nowhere: You might recognise Devin McKnight as the guitarist in Grass is Green and formerly of Speedy Ortiz, his latest project is Maneka, who just released debut album Devin on Exploding in Sound Records and it’s a genre-bending record that deserves to get some traction.

06) Sheer Mag - The Killer: Philly quartet Sheer Mag put out their excellent new album, A Distant Call in August and those with a hankering for Thin Lizzy-esque rock should listen to it at your nearest convenience (or inconvenience, even). Produced by Arthur Rizk, the record nails a classic sound and captures the band at their most accomplished to date, while their previous efforts were somewhat endearingly lo-fi in places, A Distant Call captures the band at their peak that .

07) Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Hymn for a Droid: You might form a decent idea about what Psychedelic Porn Crumpets sound like just by the name. The Australian (Perth) quartet’s brand of psych is heavier on the BPM than most with plenty of riffs and a bit more treble in the mix, and they nail it. Their latest album, And Now For The Whatchamacallit, was released back in May.

08) Follakzoid – II: My love for Chilean psychedelic rock will hopefully never end, and one of the heavyweights, Follakzoid, put out their latest record I in August. The previous record went off in more of a trance direction and the live tour went further that way, and I takes it to the extreme. A double-record with one song per side, the songs were stitched together from a series of single takes, by a producer who was not present during the recording. It ends up having a remix-album type of feel, and it’s good, though I wonder how much further the band can stretch the direction.

09) Michael Stipe - Your Capricious Soul: REM nerds were treated to a Michael Stipe solo track recently which feels a bit like an UP b-side, but I’ll take anything I can get these days and it does leave you wanting more.

10) Julia Jacklin - Don't Know How to Keep Loving You: February was so long ago now it’s easy to forget that Julia Jacklin released the quite superb Crushing, she seems so effortlessly at the top of her game. Steering away from the more traditional folk of her debut album, Crushing reminds me a little of Sharon Van Etten circa Tramp/Are We There with a few more BPM.

11) Mikal Cronin - Show Me: Mikal Cronin released three near-perfect garage-rock albums every two years between 2011 and 2015, so 2017 seemed like a cruel joke when the run didn't continue. That's not to say the four years since III were unproductive, Cronin is one of the busiest artists around and must have played on a dozen albums in the last four years. Thankfully, 2019 has given the world a little more balance with another of his solo albums, and this time he's leaned into his inner-Neil Young (if you had to pick a record this is closest to, it would be Neil's best - On the Beach). Trying to get over a bout of writer's block, he turned to the tried-and-true approach of retreating to a cabin in the woods to write, unfortunately that only lasted a month due to forest fires, and the record does come ablaze more than most, but there's certainly an earthy quality to it. Indeed the only song that screams cabin-in-the-woods is the solo-acoustic closer On the Shelf.

12) Big Thief – Not: The rise of Big Thief seems incredibly satisfying and it’s hard to think of a band who have made their ascent so seamless. A second record of 2019, Two Hands, was released on the 11th via 4AD, it’s a more rock/band-orientated album than U.F.O.F‘s more traditional folk. While most people don’t seem to think so, I think Two Hands is the stronger of the two.

13) Remember Sports - Tiny Planets: Philly act Remember Sports celebrated the 5th anniversary of debut album Sunchokes (back when the band were just called Sports) with an expanded re-issue, and this is just one of the no-frills fun indie-pop tunes from it.

14) Dude York – Falling: Seattle trio Dude York put out their second album, Falling, back in July on Hardly Art records, and it is smack in the middle of the Hardly Art venn diagram with pop harmonies and fuzzy guitars aplenty.

15) Screaming Females - No More I Love Yous: Screaming Females recently put out a compilation of non-album tracks, which I managed to snag on vinyl, the download and CD versions came with a few extra covers tacked onto the end, one of which is this Annie Lennox classic.

16) Michael Nau - On Ice: Sometimes you just want a smooth, perfectly executed set of melodic singer-songwriter tunes and Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread‘s 2018 album self-titled album is the middle of that venn diagram; like cruising in the middle lane of a deserted highway, there’s something deeply satisfying about how easy it is.

Phew, done, see you in 2020!

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/2qkhgx40bxzv2tp/Q%23128.zip/file

Q#127 - August to September 2019

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  http://www.mediafire.com/file/mdg9xleblx5ibbk/Q%2523127.zip/file 

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes.

Q's Compilations

Vol #127 – August to September 2019

Well this one is significantly late and I have some gall to call this mix August/September but here we are, three weeks late so these notes will be rushed.

01) Amyl and the Sniffers - Some Mutts (Can't Be Muzzled):Aussie rock band released their self-titled debut album in May, this track closes the record but it sounded like a compilation opener to me.

02) Vivian Girls – Sick: Five years after their “final” shows, I always held out hope that the trio would return and they duly did in September with new album Memory, which might just be their best record to date. I saw them play at Warsaw recently and it was like they’d never been away.

03) Katie Ellen – Lighthouse: I saw Katie Ellen open for Cayetana (more on them later) and enjoyed her set enough to check out her recorded material. This song jumped out.

04) Oso Oso - Basking in the Glow: Long Beach’s Oso Oso released Basking in the Glow in August (this is the title track) and as far as the current trend of 90s-influenced alt-rock goes, this is one of the best examples.

05) Young Guv - Patterns Prevail: I’ve been a big fan of Young Guv since debut album Ripe 4 Luv (first featured in Q#103), and new album Guv II takes him in more straight-up power-pop territory, at times bordering on a Teenage Fanclub tribute, which is no bad thing from my point of view.

06) Jay Som – Superbike: Another 90s-tinged tune here, Melina Duterte has released her second album Anak Ko in August and it’s a dreampop delight.

07) Pronoun – Run: I’ll Show You Stronger is a treble-heavy bedroom pop record of which this is probably the highlight.

08) Long Beard - Getting By: Pretty music and downbeat lyrics is the middle of the venn diagram for me so when this song turned up in a PR email I was pretty captivated instantly. I haven’t listened to the album this comes from yet, Means to Me was released on the 13^th of September.

09) Lower Dens – Galapagos: Another new album I haven’t had the chance to listen to, The Competition was also released in September, but this is a nice tune.

10) HAIM – Forever: I managed to get some free tickets to see HAIM in August, I hadn’t really listened to them prior but came out a convert, they put on one of the best shows I’ll see this year.

11)  Girl Band - Going Nowhere: Irish quartet Girl Band have been releasing intensely genre-busting records for seven years (I first heard them in 2014), and I recently described new album The Talkies as like being on a chaotic construction site, and I mean that as a huge compliment.

12) Cursive - Pick Up the Pieces: I saw Cursive band in May and I’m writing these notes having just seem them two times in a weekend opening for Against Me! at Starland Ballroom in New Jersey.

13) Cayetana - Bus Ticket: Philly trio Cayetana called it a day in August with a tour that included a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. I first saw the band in 2015 and four times in total, their second album in particular, New Kind of Normal is very good and it’s a shame they’ve called it quits.

14) Dehd – Lucky: Chicago psyche trio Dehd released Water in May on Fire Talk Records (who are celebrating a ten year anniversary). The new album is a bit more, dare I saw pop-oriented than previous efforts but does not suffer for it at all.

15) Future Teens - Emotional Bachelor: I saw Future Teens open for Oso Oso and they reminded me of the kind of band I’d see at Glasslands (RIP). Emotional Bachelor was released on the 30^th of August via Take This to Heart Records.

16) Josh Ritter - Old Black Magic: Perpetual smiler Josh Ritter released his tenth album, Fever Breaks, in April, and it’s perhaps my favourite in his discography. It’s definitely a more band-focused record and keeps a fairly steady path, sometimes it’s ok to own the middle of the road.

17) Slaughter Beach, Dog - Heart Attack: While Modern Baseball remain on hiatus, we’ve been treated to some solo/side-projects. Guitarist/vocalist Jake Ewald’s Slaughter Beach, Dog just released a delightful and breezy new album, Safe and Also No Fear on Lame-O Records.

18) The Mountain Goats - No Children: I saw the Mountain Goats play a free show at East River State Park and they played a much better set than the last time I saw them at Brooklyn Steel two years earlier. Their latest album, In League with Dragons, is a Dungeons and Dragons-influenced album, which is pretty good but I haven’t given it a whole lot of time. This is an old song though, from 2002’s Tallahassee but they played it at the show and it’s one of my favourites.

19) Withered Hand – California: I was thinking of putting together a California-based playlist for a recent trip to the state for a wedding, and I got about as far as this song and the next one…

20) The Magnetic Fields - Come Back From San Francisco: Another track from the two-minutes I spent thinking about a California playlist…

21) Built to Spill - Broken Chairs: Cult indie legends Built to Spill are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their best album, Keep It Like a Secret (if you put a gun to my head I might say that 2006’s You in Reverse is slightly better). They played the album in full at Webster Hall recently and it was an amazing show, I don’t always love the play-an-album-in-full idea but it seemed to work great this time.

And there we go, only three weeks late. One more time before the end of the year!

As always, Peace and Love - Q

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  http://www.mediafire.com/file/mdg9xleblx5ibbk/Q%2523127.zip/file