Q#98 - October - November 2014

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q98

Download mix from: http://www.mediafire.com/download/y41mha16l969nd6/Q98.zip

Q’s Compilations

Volume #98 October – November 2014

My favourite concert space and DIY venue, Death By Audio, closed on the 22^nd of November. My words on that can be found here (http://freewilliamsburg.com/death-by-audio-is-closed-a-tribute-plus-video-footage-of-its-final-shows/). This mix consists of bands I saw at the venue and may go some way of showing why it was the best damn music venue, that booked the best bands, had the best sound, the best staff, and will be missed greatly.

01) Pop Zeus - Dead in the Water: Mikey Hodges produces perfect power-pop and this song is probably his best. New York’s music scene is certainly weaker since he moved to the West Coast. Pick up debut album and the Tell Me So EP on his bandcamp page: http://popzeus.bandcamp.com/  

02) Hector's Pets - New Job: I’m not sure if there’s a band I saw more times at DBA than Hector’s Pets (two of the band were also in Pop Zeus’ band), so it wouldn’t be appropriate at all to leave them out. The band’s debut, Pet-O-Feelia is a garage-rock triumph.

03) Bennio Qwerty - Pipe Dreams: One of the joys of going to DBA was not needing to do your homework and trust that Edan had put together a good bill, the openers were just as likely to be as good as the headliners. The band are one of my favourites in Brooklyn and I have DBA to thank for that.

04) Brick Mower - Never Said Easy: I’ve used Brick Mower a bunch of times and they were another band I’d never heard of until they rocked up to the stage at DBA (opening for California X and Nuclear Santa Claust). This track is from their latest release, 2014’s Teenage Graceland.

05) Meatbodies – Tremmors: It should be no surprise that Meatbodies’ Chad Ubovich has spent time in both Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin’s bands. That should really be all I need to say! They delivered possibly the set of this year’s CMJ (save possibly Slowdive’s unlikely reunion).

06) Pinkwash - So Long: Philadelphia’s Pinkwash consist of Ashley Arnwine (current drummer in Bleeding Rainbow) and Joey Doubek formerly of Hume, together they make an almighty racket and while two-piece bands seem to be in right now, I can’t think of anyone who does it better.

07) Metz – Rats: Canada’s Metz played their first ever New York Show at DBA (as did so many others) and also appear on the 2012 Live at DBA Flexi Book, so it was fitting that they would play one of the last ever shows at the venue, which also ended up being one of the best I ever saw. The band’s debut album was one of the best records of 2012 (Headache appears on Q#87).

08) Roomrunner - Super Vague: Possibly the hottest, stickiest show I have ever been to was Roomrunner and Speedy Ortiz at DBA, it was another one of those nights the power went out, but technical difficulties aside, Roomrunner are one of the best live bands around and they powered through their set.

09) Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler (live at DBA): This was recorded by NYC Taper in June (http://www.nyctaper.com/2014/06/thee-oh-sees-june-15-2014-death-by-audio-flacmp3streaming/), a show that I attended featuring their new-look three piece setup. I could have used a studio track but I think this live recording captures their live sound pretty well, warts and all.

10) Ty Segall – Manipulator: I think if you asked most people to name one act synonymous with DBA then Ty Segall would be the one most would say (who didn’t live or work there, at least). This is the title-track from his latest studio album (at the time of writing, he’ll probably release another 3 albums in the next hour). I took the picture on the cover for this mix at his last appearance at the venue.

11) JEFF the Brotherhood - U Got the Look: JEFF are another band that instantly rolls off the tongue when thinking about DBA along with Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees, and they played the final night (as well as the previous month). I want to say they played this song but their set was such a blur I can’t remember! This track appears on Heavy Days.

12) Screaming Females - A New Kid: I saw Screaming Females 5 times in 2014 and was glad to finally see them at DBA before it closed, Marissa also did my favourite DBA mural (the one with the freaky sausage dogs). This track appears on Castle Talk and is always a live favourite, but then again, Screamales are probably the best live band around right now so they’re all favourites!

13) Tweens – Forever: I was surprised to see I had only used Be Mean from the band’s demos CD, I guess I had been saving tracks up for the best-of-the-year mix because their debut is one of my absolute favourites.

14) Parquet Courts - Stoned and Starving: Before I saw Parquet Courts play at DBA they said “we learned how to be a band here”, and they played a blinding set of favourites, as if it were a show that they wanted to remember for the rest of their lives, let alone the audience. This is of course from their flagship LP, Light Up Gold.

15) Vaadat Charigim – Odisea: Another great thing about DBA was its philosophy of giving touring bands a platform. Israeli band Vaadat Charagim (which a friend tells me means Committee of the Nonbelievers in Hebrew, what a great name) wear their shoegazing influences firmly on their sleeve, but execute it with incredible panache.

16) Dick Diver - Calendar Days: Australian band Dick Diver’s 2013 album Calendar Days is a wonderful jangle-indie-pop record. The band’s name was taken from a character in the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel Tender Is the Night. The group say “On one level it’s pretentious, but it’s also pretty gross,” says Edwards. “So it’s a pretty honest representation of the band.”

17) Woods - Shining (live at DBA): This is another recording courtesy of NYC Taper (http://www.nyctaper.com/2014/11/woods-november-6-2014-death-by-audio-flacmp3streaming/), the track originally appears on the band’s latest record, With Light and With Love.

18) Vivian Girls - I Head You Say: As well as saying goodbye to DBA this year, we also said goodbye to Vivian Girls, who played two farewell shows in Brooklyn this January, with their penultimate show being at DBA, where they had played so many times. This appears on 2011’s Share the Joy, which turned out to be their final record.

19) Priests – Doctor: Washington DC’s Priests signed to Don Giovanni this year and released the fantastic EP Bodies and Control and Money and Power having previously released a couple of tapes on the Sister Polygon label.

20) Numerators - Finally Sees: A staple of the New York DIY scene and somewhat of a DBA houseband, Numerators include drummer Burgers Rana, who worked the door at DBA. The band’s bio states “we believe in pizza, the log lady, & rock n roll.”, and that’s maybe all the description you need! For more, see http://thenumerators.bandcamp.com/

21) Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!: Detroit’s finest get compared to The Fall quite a lot, but I think that is doing them a huge disservice, despite often being just as intoxicated, the band manage to keep their shit together for a start! Protomartyr probably played DBA more than any other out-of-town band and were clearly a favourite. Under Color of Official Right is sure to make many a best-of-2014 list.

22) L.A. Witch - Get Lost: Sludgey guitars? Reverb-soaked vocals? The tried and tested formula rarely fails to excite and L.A. Witch are no exception. They recently played during the CMJ Music Marathon (and while more of an anti-CMJ venue, it’s still going to be hard to swallow to think that the venue won’t be there for next year).

23) A Place to Bury Strangers - I Lost You: No other band is so entrenched into the Death By Audio dynamic than A Place to Bury Strangers, Oliver Ackerman is co-founder of the venue and also builder of the effects pedals of the same name. They played numerous times at the venue, including the final night, which was also Oliver’s birthday. This track appears on Onwards to the Wall.

24) Diarrhea Planet – Separations: While their studio output doesn’t come close to the sheer spectacle of their live show, there was something about this song that just made me want to put it on, sometimes you don’t need a reason. From their second album, I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams.

26) Mac DeMarco - Only You: I’m closing this mix with the first headliner I ever saw at DBA, I had wondered just what I had let myself in for as they played to a packed crowd dripping with sweat, the power cut out and everything seemed to go wrong. This masked what was generally a perfectly ran space, and in spite of the mishaps, something made me want to go back, and then I kept going back. While Mac’s star continues to rise, I can’t help but feel his schtick is becoming a little more hit-and-miss with his ubiquitousness. However, every time I hear a song like this I’m reminded of his talents.

Obviously this mix is brilliant, and in many mays it isn’t my mix, if you ever went to DBA in any capacity, it’s yours.

Until next time

Peace and love - Q

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q98

Download mix from: http://www.mediafire.com/download/y41mha16l969nd6/Q98.zip

Q#97 - August to September 2014

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q97

Download mix from: https://www.mediafire.com/?hhc19wsztb61eyb

Q’s Compilations

Volume #97 August – September 2014

Well hello, everybody. Summer is coming to an end, although September seems hotter than most of the summer combined… anyway, enough about the weather. It’s a case of good news / bad news at the moment. The bad news, and it is rather terrible, is that my favourite music venue, Death By Audio, is closing at the end of November, I can’t even accurately portray how much I like that place… as for the good news, well, I did get to interview my favourite musician of all time and someone whose music changed my life, Del Amitri singer Justin Currie (http://freewilliamsburg.com/interview-justin-currie/). So that was cool… anyway, this mix is the usual mishmash of things I’ve been listening to and seeing live lately.

01) Tsunamis – Homework: Cast your minds back to Q#89 and my fantastic Chilean mix (if I do say so myself) and you may remember Tsunami’s incredible song, Rosita Queen. Well, the good news is that after a few years absence, the band are getting back together! This is basically just an intro song that I’ve edited because it’s the next track that I wanted to include…

02) Tsunamis - Eterno Retorno: These two tracks appear on 2012’s EP Crac!, which is a bit more polished than their other records, but the songs are still wonderful. This popped up on a shuffle the other day (not a feature I usually use but it’s nice to mix things up from time to time) and it always jumps out at me when I listen to the band.

03) Black Wine – Komrades: This track opens the band’s latest record, Yell Boss, which was released in August. I went to the record release show at Death By Audio which also included labelmates, Brick Mower. The new record (released on Don Giovanni records) hits a little harder than their previous record.

04) Hectors Pets - School Days: I was surprised that I hadn’t used anything from Pets’ debut album, Pet-o-feelia, which was released at the end of May. I’ve been watching the Pets live with some regularity over the last couple of years and was wondering if they’d be able to capture the essence of their live shows on record, thankfully they have.

05) Monotonix - Late Night: I saw guitarist Yonantan Gat play at Death By Audio a while ago and after some digging around found he was in an Israeli band called Monotonix. During the last few days of Kim’s Record Store (RIP) I picked up a stack of vinyl and CDs, including a couple by Monotonix. This track appears on their record, Not Yet, and has a really chunky guitar sound, like Swervedriver in overdrive. 

06) Peace Creep - Interstellar Alimony: San Francisco’s Peace Creep put out a self-titled EP this year on Alternative Tentacles and it is an unashamed in-your-face SST-influenced rocker.

07) Beverly - All the Things: You may remember the fantastic Honey Do demo from a couple of mixes ago, well now the band have released their first album proper (Careers), another purchase from Kim’s (RIP, yes I will say that each time). This tune has a lovely uplifting arpeggio and now I’m typing this I realise I probably don’t use enough of those…

08) Anna Calvi - I'm the Man That Will Find You: Covers albums and EPs are nice enough but one always hopes they’re just stepping stones before new original material. Having said that, Calvi’s covers EP, Strange Weather, features a nice mix of modern and classic material. This particular tune is originally by madcap Kiwi, Conan Mockasin. “Listen to your heart,When feels right from the start.
Your empty kind of strange, Yours is for the past. Listen to your head, When you're drowning every day”

09) Gemma Ray - Shake Baby Shake: I can’t remember how I heard this song… I think I was just browsing through show listings and finding tunes by unfamiliar names, but I could be wrong. Anyway, on first listen this tune seemed a bit standard but then I found it was in my head with some regularity, so I’m putting it on the mix. I saw Gemma live a few weeks ago and she didn’t play this, which was a shame and the other material didn’t seem as interesting, but I like how this builds and the strings rising to a crescendo.

10) Matt Kivel – Underwater: Ok so Matt Kivel has now appeared on the last three mixes, call me unoriginal, but they are three different releases. This tune appears on his just-released 2^nd full-length album, Days of Being Wild.

11) Tim Woulfe - Naked Waves: Speaking of Matt Kivel, you may remember the last mix featured a song by him called Palomar, that featured on a split EP with this man, Tim Woulfe. The lo-fi production is endearing rather than distracting and Woulfe has one of those voices that on first listen sounds basic but further listens reveal an earnest depth. “And I want my songs to remind me of how I felt.”

12) R.E.M. - Get Up (acoustic): This is an oldie but this year REM officially released both of the VH1 unplugged sessions. It’s quite amazing to think that this song was released as a single in September 1989… twenty-five years ago. As Stipe sings in this song, Where Does Time Go?!

13) Tom Clark - New Toothbrush on Your Sink: Tom Clark hosts The Treehouse at 2A on Sundays (25 Avenue A, corner of East 2nd), I went a few weeks and enjoyed his set of Byrds-esque originals. And you never know who is going to turn up at the sessions, Lenny Kaye got up and played a short set when I went. Sorry for the abrupt start, it’s how the song came down. “You had something else in mind, I guess you thought was better”

14) T.V. Smith – Lies: I picked up the hard-to-find album Channel 5 from Kim’s (RIP) recently, it had been on my radar for a while after watching a documentary about him and how it seemed like the underappreciated ugly-duckling in his discography. It’s a lovely little album with some real pop sensibility that I guess fans just weren’t into at the time. Just listen to that guitar at 3:20, gorgeous.

15) St. Vincent - Birth in Reverse: I bought the St Vincent album with a Best Buy voucher a few months ago and have to say, I wasn’t buying into the hype at all, it seemed very disappointing. However, I went to see her in Prospect Park last month and she really won me over, a great performer, singer and guitarist. I certainly enjoy the album a lot more, just goes to show the power of live music.

16) Total Slacker – Satisfied: NYC’s Total Slacker had been playing most of the songs on Slip Away for the last couple of years (it was released in February) and again there was a question of whether or not the band’s fiery live performances could be captured on record, and again the answer was yes! The band have since parted ways with guitarist David Tassy which was a shame as I thought he was fairly integral to their live appeal.

17) David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights – Dropper: I recently saw The Clean live in Brooklyn (review: http://freewilliamsburg.com/kiwi-legends-the-clean-played-rough-trade/) and also managed to score a copy of David Kilhour’s latest solo album End Times Undone, which is a fine mix of jangle-pop and Neil Young-esque guitar wigouts, of which this is a fine example.

18) Elephant Stone - Wayward Stone: I saw Elephant Stone recently at the Mercury Lounge, having missed out on seeing them last year due to conflicts in schedule. This track is more of a nod to their previous records with that lovely jangley sound, but most of the Three Poisons taps into a sound a bit more like 90s Britpop (but is, thankfully, a bit better than most of that turgid movement (save a few highlights)). Always looking back on tomorrow but never thinking of you.

19) Wand - Flying Golem: I missed Ty Segal this time around in NYC (actually for the second time around…) but I did manage to catch Wand (who are one of his openers on this tour) at Death By Audio and you can immediately hear why he has taken them on tour with him.

20) Dinner – Girl: Anders Rhedin is from Denmark but currently lives in LA and has just signed to NYC-based record label, Capture Tracks. This has a wonderful, lo-fi electro-goth sound to it. Fans of John Maus will no doubt get into this. They played at Baby’s All Right this month but I didn’t end up going, hopefully there will be another chance in the future.

21) Del Amitri – Hadrian’s Wall: It’s been quite the year for Del Amitri fans, Justin Currie has released his third solo album and Del Amitri played some reunion shows (their first in 12 years), to cap things off, they just put up a couple of new tracks on their soundcloud page. This song has some great orchestration with sweeping strings, not something the band used too often.

22) Patter Matthew Bauer - You Are the Chapel: A former member of The Walkmen (who broke up), Peter Matthew Bauer has produced a rather spiffing solo record called Liberation! It almost seems like a shame to take a song out of context with the record which has a great flow to it.

And there we have it, I hope you enjoy something on this, as always. I have some ideas for the next one (I might do a Death By Audio – RIP mix) but it could just end up being the standard mix of whatever I’ve seen live or listened to lately. The two pictures are animals that look like me. On the front a Harpy Eagle and flipside is the red-lipped batfish

Until next time

Peace and love - Q 

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q97

Download mix from: https://www.mediafire.com/?hhc19wsztb61eyb

Q#92 – October - November 2013

Please note that the zip file has a password: Q92

Download mix from:  http://www.mediafire.com/download/possaagntzy7nrc/Q92.zip

Q’s Compilations

Volume #92 – October – November 2013

October and November are odd times in the US, the “fall” (it’s still Autumn…) is beautifu, the sun is out and the skies are blue but there is a chill in the air, my kind of weather. Halloween is a big thing and thanksgiving is too close to christmas to know what to do with either. New York recently had the CMJ Music Marathon and I’ve been enjoying writing content for My Social List, here’s some stuff I’ve been listening to lately:

01) King Tuff – Anthem: King Tuff’s self-titled release was one of the best albums of last year, and his debut album from 2008, Was Dead, was re-issued in the summer. This tune opens his eponymous album and having seen him live twice this year I thought it was time I used another track.

02) Hector's Pets - Station Wagon: Regulars on the New York gig circuit for the last couple of years, Pets are one of the most solid live bands you can see and are an infectious act. They’re currently recording their debut album which should be great, especially if they can capture their live sound, this track is more of a demo but you’ll be humming ohhh la la la ohhh la la la before you know it.

03) Obits - It's Sick: I saw Obits at their record release show at the Bell House (which I reviewed here: http://mysocialist.com/blog/2013/09/24/live-review-obits-at-the-bell-house/) in support of new record Beds & Bugs. It’s a fine record and this is probably my favourite from it.

04) Nu Sensae – Swim: I saw Nu Sensae at the Northside Festival in June and enjoyed their ferocious set at Shea Stadium, but it wasn’t until I picked up their record, Sundowning, that I found a better appreciation for them and managed to tease apart the songs.

05) Joanna Gruesome – Sugarcrush: This Welsh band offers a ray of sunshine for the UK music scene, they were one of the best acts to play the recent CMJ Music Marathon in New York in October and their record, Weird Sister, is sure to make many a best-of list for the year. The album has been released on Slumberland Records in the US.

06) Blouse – Imperium: I was also at Blouse’s record release show in support of new album, Imperium, my review can be found here: http://mysocialist.com/blog/2013/09/03/blouse-live-review-glasslands-08302013/. The new album is more guitar-driven compared to the synth-heavy self-titled debut, but the change of direction sounds natural rather than forced.

07) Best Coast - I Don't Know How: After the fairly disappointing second album, The Only Place, which featured a much cleaner sound, new EP Fade Away is a real return to form. Sure, it’s more of a return to the blueprint of their wonderful first album than anything else, but I still think that Boyfriend is one of the best pop tunes of recent times, so I really want them to do well. Let’s hope the upward trajectory continues.

08) TEEN - Big Talk: This tune is a leftover from the sessions that spawned their last ep, Carolina. I love the big synth sound and eagerly await more!

09) Chromatics – Cherry: I saw Chromatics at Terminal 5 in September, almost exactly a year since I saw them at the New Museum last year (which was in my top 5 shows of the year) and they were once again fantastic. This track appears on the recent label sampler from Italians Do It Better called After Dark 2.

10) Weekend – Oubliette: Jinx is one of the finest albums of the year and while it has been available in the US for a few months, it finally just got a worldwide release. Not exactly the easiest band to find on google (and their debut album was called sports, just try finding Weekend Sports!), as with most things people consider to be dark and eerie, I hear a beautiful record.

11) Okkervil River - Down Down the Deep River: One of the most consistently great bands of the last decade, Okkervil River deliver another rewarding record in the shape of The Silver Gymnasium, which is a concept album based in New Hampshire in 1986. I haven’t dissected the lyrics enough find myself in that world but the music is of their usual high calibre.

12) Justin Currie - I Hate Myself for Loving You: New record, Lower Reaches, took me a little longer to get into than Justin’s two other solo records, it might be the more country influence (it was recorded in Nashville) or it might just be that my expectations for the man who sparked my love of music are just too high. Regardless, I ended up really liking the record in the end anyway. And to make things even better, Del Amitri are touring in the UK for the first time in 10 years starting in January next year. I’ve already booked tickets for a couple of shows, now I just need to figure out getting there!

13) Fly Ashtray - To Sir with Ignelss: Described recently as “one of New York’s best kept secrets of the last 30 years”, this track was co-written with R. Stevie Moore and appears on Reports. I managed to catch a rare set by the band at Cake Shop a couple of weeks ago.

14) Sisu - Cut Me Off: Keen listeners will remember Sandra Vu’s band Sisu from Q#90 and Q#88, since then debut album Blood Tears has dropped and I heartily recommend it. They played my favourite set of the recent CMJ Music Marathon and Vu has really grown into the role of band leader.

15) Journalism – Denim Jesus: A recent discovery, I saw Journalism supporting Guantanamo Baywatch at Cake Shop and was an instant convert. There isn’t a whole lot out there to listen to at the moment so do enjoy this. I love their sound and just wait for the solo… My post about them on My Social List has turned out to be my most popular as well so take a look if you want: http://mysocialist.com/blog/2013/11/05/artist-to-watch-journalism/

16) Young Adults – Decay: Boston-based band Young Adults excel on this noisey/shoegazey/post-punky tune, I wanted to see the band recently but their show conflicted with another so I hope it isn’t too long until their gigging again. For more information see their bandcamp page http://youngadultsma.bandcamp.com/

17) Lil Daggers - After the Flood: One of my favourite recent discoveries, this track opens their superbly titled EP, No Pizza No Peace, and is a perfect dose of atmospheric psych-rock. This track even caused me to miss my subway stop late at night one time as its swirling production  dulled my senses (ok it could have been the beer). I had to fade this song a little earlier than I’d have liked due to time constraints.

18) Mark Kozelek and Desertshore - You Are Not My Blood: Kozelek has been pretty active this year, with a covers album, 3 live albums and 2 collaboration albums. This track is the closest thing to early Red House Painters he has released since even before Red House Painters broke up.

19) Chelsea Wolfe - We Hit a Wall: Latest album, Pain is Beauty, is a real success of different sounds and styles. This brooding piece is my favourite.

20) Zola Jesus - Fall Back: New album, Versions, is a collection of re-arranged song for strings courtesy of JG Thirwell. The new versions are brighter and bring the vocals to the fore, which is a good contrast to the electronic and dense original songs.

This is one of the most gratifying mixes I’ve made in a while so I hope you enjoyed it. The next mix will be a roundup of my favourite releases so I suppose I’d better get my thinking cap on for that. See you in 2014!

Until next time

Peace and love - Q