Q#88 - February - March 2013

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Q’s Compilations

Volume #88 – February – March 2013

Greetings again! 2013 seems to have started off as 2012 ended, with a lot of shows. Have racked up almost (or maybe) 30 by the end of March. I’ve had this mixed for a couple of weeks and already have a whole bunch of stuff I’m excited about for the next one, so let’s get cracking!

01) Spanish Moss - Fuzz Puzzle: This is, as people say, the shit. Listen to this, and then when you’re done, read my review: http://someothersuckersparade.blogspot.com/2013/02/spanish-moss-kelp-ep-review.html

02) ExLovers - Starlight, Starlight: I used Moth Eaten Memories on Q#83 and felt an urge to dig out the record again, I think Ex Cops reminded me of them. News on the band seems to be quite thin at the moment. “You say we're going nowhere, But we're already here. And you could make the daylight disappear.”

03) Ex Cops – Ken: True Hallucinations was released on the 22^nd of January, unfortunately I was at another gig when they played their record release show. They’re from Brookyln though, so I suspect I’ll get more chances to see them. “Something unusual, that you couldn’t see, Seeking arrangement from another scene”

04) Sisu - Light Eyes: Sisu is Sandra Vu (Dum Dum Girls drummer), I saw them supporting Cat Power recently and loved their set. Light Eyes is a sultry electro-shoegaze masterpiece, I bought their DIY CD (which is now sold out) and am very much looking forward to their debut album which is due in June.

05) Seapony - I Never Would: I used the infectious summer anthem, Dreaming on Q#84 and now that I’ve purchased the album properly it seemed fitting to revisit. They released their second album, Falling last September which I still haven’t heard, must rectify that. “Will you still want me there? When I no longer care. Will you still be around? Follow and falling down”

06) Sleepy Sun - She Rex: I’ve been listening to a fair amount of psychedelic rock lately so a friend recommended Sleepy Sun, I bought their latest record, Spine Hits, just before the end of the year which I think hints at a slightly more commercial direction and also their first since vocalist Rachel Fannan left the group. I like the album however, I suspect I may enjoy the earlier releases more.

07) Kingdom of the Holy Sun - A Go Go: From Seattle, I grabbed this track because Last.FM recommended them to me (sometimes it’s worth having a route through the recommendations…), I’ve grabbed the album (self titled) which is well worth a listen.

08) Haunted Leather - Shapes on the Wall: Another Last.FM recommendations, details about the band are pretty scarce, but who needs details when you can just listening to this ground-shaking juggernaut of a song.

09) Soundgarden - Been Away Too Long: I never thought I’d get to see Soundgarden live, so gobbled up the chance to see them twice recently, and they played drastically different sets each night (which both clocked in at 2.5 hours each). New album, King Animal seemed a bit of a damp squib when I first listened to it, but repeated listens have gotten under my skin and it’s a worthy addition to their fine discography. “This place has a sṗecial kind of falling apart. Like they put the whole thing together in the dark”

10) Buffalo Tooth - Only Son: Carrie was blasting this song from another compilation and my ears pricked, they only have a 7” single at the moment but are currently recording a full record, watch this space!! http://buffalotooth.bandcamp.com/

11) The Soft Pack – Saratoga: I was a big fan of the Soft Pack’s debut album (and was a fan before that, when they were known as The Muslims), I was supposed to see them last summer but a freak storm made them cancel (the show was outside). New album, Strapped, doesn’t quite have the infectious punch that the self-titled release had, but it’s still chock full of fine songs.

12) The Babies – Alligator: The Babies are Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls and Kevin Morby from Woods, I’ll have the pleasure of seeing them play a couple of times this month (both free shows as well!). Their second album, Our House on the Hill, was released in November and is a fun-filled record well worth your time. “There's no job to pay the rent. There's no love to make it better. There's no plans, What'chu doin' later? Take my hand, alligator.“

13) Day Joy - Bone and Bloody: I found this band because they were supporting at a gig I was thinking of going to (which I didn’t go to in the end), this is a lovely slice of Americana which I hope some of you will enjoy. “When I've been running several days. I can barely find a place where you won't leave me in the gutter - where you won't leave me bone and bloody." 

14) The Mountain Goats - The Diaz Brothers: I went to a podcast recording at Studio X which featured John Darnielle, he didn’t play this song but it was a fun night (the first half was a conversation between him and author Frank Bill) and made me appreciate his work even more. Transcendental Youth was released in October, I’d missed their last couple of albums (the last one I got was Heretic Pride in 2008) so I have some catching up to do. “Keep one step ahead of enemies. Foretell worse things than such frightful nights as these.“

15) Daytona - You're In Beijing: I saw Daytona supporting Bleeding Rainbow in February and I’d been listening to their EP on bandcamp fairly extensively, the band includes bassist Jose Boyer of the now defunct, Harlem. http://daytonapals.bandcamp.com/

16) Ski Lodge - I Would Die to Be: There’s certainly nothing original about Ski Lodge, but how can you not love that guitar sound?! So far the band have just one EP (which was released in 2011), hopefully they’re in the process of getting an album together. “I would die to be, just to be someone, just to be someone that you love. I would die to be, just to be something, just to be something in your dreams “

17) Melody's Echo Chamber - I Follow You: Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker is a big influence on this record, producing and playing various instruments, but the star of the show is of course Melody Prochet. This song can’t help but lift spirits, with that summery instrumentation and Prochet’s whimsical vocal delivery. The self-titled record was released in September. “I was wrong and you were cold, I was hoping you might go. You would never show me how much you cared , what was going on “

18) Ken Stringfellow – Shittalkers: Ken has been one of my favourite musicians for some time, both as one half of The Posies and his ludicrously underrated solo material. I’d never seen him live as solo artist before which was thankfully rectified in February. He played possibly the most intimate show I’ve seen, coming off the stags and playing most of the gig on the floor amongst the audience without a microphone. Stringfellow’s latest offering is Danzig in the Moonlight, which I can’t recommend enough, if you listen casually you will miss out on so much, his music can take some time to really seep in but reward patience greatly. “Kids in the clubs won’t even touch this stuff, it’s a hard sell.

19) Gracie – Habits: I’d had this song stuck in my head for a few weeks and also enjoyed a couple of EPs I paid for on bandcamp, though I have to say I was a little bit disappointed when I saw them live, some of the charm seemed to get lost. I’ll certainly be keeping Gracie on the radar though if they keep on churning songs out like this.

20) Blood Orange - Bad Girls: I had a couple of free credits for MP3s on Amazon, so decided to buy the Bad Girls/Dinner single, I really love the Blood Orange record so felt like I needed to pick up what I didn’t have. “And still I try to lure you into my own hurricane, it’s like you spot me trying from a thousand miles away.“

As ever, I hope you enjoyed the mix, do send feedback, recommendations, etc, etc. Now I suppose I’d better get my taxes sorted… L

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