As for Stereolab I'd highly recommend either "Switched On" or "Mars Audiac Quintet". Mars Audiac has a couple of songs that pass for poppy-accessible, Switched On is just classic stereolab
HEY YA'LL I just picked up the Spoonfed Hybred cd today and must say it rules! Thanx to the people who recomended it to me! I noticed that Ian Masters sung most of the songs on Spoonfed and they sound just like the first and second Pale Saints'.......My question: who did lead vocals on the P.S. Cd's? I also got the Pixies "Surfer Rosa" and all I can say is it's weird, but in a VERY good way. They also had the same Cd, only it had 21 songs and they wanted $22.50 for it. I was so tempted to buy that and the Pizzicato Five's "By her magesty's request" but they wanted $30 for it. Screw that! Is anyone a P5 fan? I almost bought Shallow's...um...I forget the name but it's a remix album and I wanted to hear the real thing first. I was told they sound like Lush's "Spooky" any truth to that? Ok, can anyone recomend something that sounds like Spoonfed but a little more synth orented? Someone recomened "Lifeforms" by Future Sounds of London but no one seems to have it. I've got their "Cascade" CD, the first song is cool but I found the album as a whole to be repetitive. I also have to thank all of you for turning me on to all this great music. I'm so happy! :> Looking to drown himself in Reverb, Brian
>Also, (possibly a different group of fans) are the first 2 Bel Canto >albums (_White- Out Conditions_ and _Birds of Passage_) as good as >_Shimmering, Warm and Bright_ and _Magic Box_? >Thank you all very much for your help! > brian > bwilliam@fogelson.csf.edu No, they're not as good--they're far, far better. They have more of a "chamber rock" feel, and the band still has a sense of distict character as opposed to the generic, dance-type sound of the later records. Also, they were a trio instead of a duo. Neshtikin Byram
5 Apr 1996 11:14:24 GMT > Also, (possibly a different group of fans) are the first > 2 Bel Canto albums (_White- Out Conditions_ and _Birds > of Passage_) as good as > _Shimmering, Warm and Bright_ and _Magic Box_? Each album is quite different. I like both WOC and BOP more than Magic Box but both of these albums are much less accessible than MB or SW&B. *White-Out Conditions* is just the perfect haunting brooding dying-in-the-snow music--slower, more introspective and moody with spurts of frantic pop-craziness. *Birds of Passage* has some of the best songs ranging from dark ("and so in vain they heal the stains and wounds on my body, so torn apart and bloody) to the poppy "continuum." This album is a classic and beautiful throughout but also seems a bit more dated (80's) sounding so your mileage may vary. I think both these albums are EXCELLENT and absolutely need to be in any collection of ethereal pop or female vocalists (Anneli is queen). I hope this helps, write me if you need more info. -cz
On Thu, 4 Apr 1996 Hrtn@AOL.COM wrote: > Cindytalk Sat 6 - Westbeth Theater Trying to cash in on their connection to And Also the Trees, no doubt.Ivo being a fan of the Cranes and all, who opened for The Cure. How transparent can you get? :) > Kurt Ralske Mon 8 - The Cooler Tape this show for me and I will buy you your ticket and a drink. I am totally serious about this. No reasonable offer refused. If not you, then someone? Please? Help? > Modern English May 3 (bingo night) - Irving Plaza Hey, they're almost as old as the Cocteau Twins! Go back to Florida ya fossils. NOI to *k-j* and her bingoism, e://e.e.e/e/e/e/e.eeee
>I also got the Pixies "Surfer Rosa" and all I can say is it's weird, >but in a VERY good way. They also had the same Cd, only it had 21 songs >and they wanted $22.50 for it. I was so tempted to buy that and the That would be the import CD with _Surfer Rosa_ and _Come on Pilgrim_, their first release, added on. (I'm no Pixies expurt so this is all top of the head.) >I almost bought Shallow's...um...I forget the name but it's a remix >album and I wanted to hear the real thing first. I was told they sound >like Lush's "Spooky" any truth to that? Hmm, the album, _3D Stereo Trouble_ is somewhere between Gala-Lush and, hmm, more or less straight rockin' roll.. driving Super-Chunk-indie rock, you know! (not a good description, I know) with an older Allison Shaw singing, maybe 9 instead of 5 years old. The multitracked vox are very cool in parts. The singer plays flute and cello somewhere in there too I think. If you can, listen to it or the recent _CD Laser Lens Cleaner_ at the store or somewhere first. My current fave, dreamy, fuzzy, reverbed recent releases are Once Dreamt's _Drifting_ 12" and either of Roy Montgomery's CDs _Scenes From the South Island_ or the new one on kranky that is just as great, but I've only heard it a leettle bit. (The Magnog CD from kranky sounds pretty cool too, but I've heard even less of it.) G Gil will have to expound on them. -nick (I saw that Polara is supporting Garbage on tour now.. Hear's one person that thinks they may get quite big...)
Been meaning to get this. Anyone here have it? e ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 09:06:15 -0500
- Subject: Re: Beaumont Hannant/Lida Husik
Since this thread was sort of brought up recently... For those interested, Lida Husik has done an new, full-length album that was engineered and programmed by Outcast Productions aka Beaumont Hannant and his partner, Richard Brown. Kind of the next step from the Evening At The Grange EP that Astralwerks released over an year and a half ago... Called Green Blue Fire, the album represents another side of Lida Husik the singer/songwriter, an eletronic side known as Husikesque. The best way I could describe the album is to call it an ethereal abstract hip-hop record with vocals. Sort of like Portishead, but much cleaner and not quite as dark and brooding. Check it out... Peter Wohelski Astralwerks
>As for Stereolab I'd highly recommend either >"Switched On" or "Mars Audiac Quintet". >Mars Audiac has a couple of songs that pass for poppy-accessible, >Switched On is just classic stereolab Everyone seems to forget about Peng! when it comes to recommending Stereolab (maybe I'm just saying this because it was the first CD of theirs that I got). It is at least as good as Switched On and complements it nicely, showing their longer songs from the same period. My recommendations would be Peng!, Switched On and Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements. Larry
Burt Reynolds asked: >Could some of you Stereolab fans point me toward a good starting >point album-wise? I'm interested in hearing them, but don't know >where to begin. "Switched On" compiles their earliest singles and demonstrates the Stereolab sound par excellence. If the first 30 seconds of "Super-Electric" don't get you hopping around the room like a crazy person, there's no hope for you. (Originally released on Slumberland in the US, possibly Too Pure in the UK. I _think_ American has rereleased it.) "Peng!" is overall mellower than "Switched On" and I found it a bit less immediately catchy, but it's a great album. (It's on Too Pure, rereleased by American.) "Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements" is another excellent album with some great pop songs and longer more experimental tracks like "Golden Ball" and "Jenny Ondioline". It should be easy to find since it's on Elektra in the US. "Refried Ectoplasm" is the sequel to "Switched-On" and despite being a collection of rarities and b-sides is just as strong as the prequel. It includes some of their best songs, such as "John Cage Bubblegum" and "French Disko". (It's on Drag City.) I wouldn't recommend "Mars Audiac Quartet" or "The Groop Played Space-Age Batchelor [sic] Pad Music" as first purchases; they're both rather weak and include some listless novelty pop numbers. __________ __________________ Jens Alfke jens@mooseyard.com________________________ http://www.mooseyard.com
sten wrote: >I also got the Pixies "Surfer Rosa" and all I can say is it's weird, >but in a VERY good way. They also had the same Cd, only it had 21 songs >and they wanted $22.50 for it. That's a good price actually, as it includes the "Come On Pilgrim" EP which was their first release and which is just as essential (and as weird) as "Surfer Rosa". Your Pixies experience is not complete until you've heard "Isla de Encanta" or "Levitate Me"! I'm not sure whether "Come On Pilgrim" is available separately on CD, at least in the US. >Ok, can anyone recomend something that sounds like Spoonfed but a >little more synth orented? Someone recomened "Lifeforms" by Future >Sounds of London but no one seems to have it. If you do find it make sure it's the excellent "Lifeforms Paths 1-7" EP with Liz Fraser and not the full "Lifeforms" double-CD which I find rather boring. I haven't heard Spoonfed Hybrid, but if you're looking for mellow-but-not-somnolent synth stuff I'd recommend: "Feed Your Head" comp (on Planet Dog, or Mammoth in the US) (volume 2 is better but 1 is nice too.) "Excursions In Ambience" comp, vol.1 (on Astralwerks) (includes a very good FSOL track) "Artificial Intelligence 2" comp (on Warp) Biosphere's "Microgravity" or "Patashnik" (on Apollo) All of this is what I'd call "ambient techno". Most of it includes beats but they don't club you over the head. If you're looking for something with major beats per minute but not too repetitive and with lots of wild synth sounds, Eat Static are your best bet -- get "Abduction" first, it's the finest techno album I've ever heard. __________ __________________ Jens Alfke jens@mooseyard.com________________________ http://www.mooseyard.com
Lots of bits and pieces to discuss / comment on For UK readers, managed to replace my nicked copy of HNIA's King Of Sweet at the Rough Trade shop in Covent Garden on Thursday - and they've still got at least one copy left. 17 quid though. The new Kim Deal produced Guided By Voices LP, 'Under The Bushes, Under The Stars' is pretty neat. Expect no surprises, but the songs are as strong as ever (and, for the most part, as short). Chris Trout of AC Temple/Spoonfed Hybrid notoriety plays guitar on Leeds band Coping Saw's new four song seven inch, which I recommend unreservedly to fans of Pavement / Laika style pop. It's out on Neptunes, a Belfast label - e-mail me for more info. Autechre contribute a mix to the new Lamb single 'Gold', Manchester's new drum 'n' bass / hip-hop sensations. Good too. Other recommendations, are the new Walkabouts album, Devil's Road (their best), Mark Eitzel's 60 Watt Silver Lining (which I know is old news to you Stateside) and T Power's epic drum 'n' bass symphony in four acts, 'Police State'. Current Listening: Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants (Junior Boys Own) Mark Eitzel - 60 Watt Silver Lining (Virgin) Walkabouts - Devil's Road (Virgin) Coping Saw - Gettin' Nice With Coping Saw (Neptunes 7") T Power - Police State (Sound Of The Underground) Mr Scruff - Hocus Pocus (Rob's Records 12") Guided By Voices - Under The Bushes, Under The Stars (Matador) Lush - Lovelife (4AD) Primal Scream - Trainspotting (from Trainspotting ost - EMI) Grifters - Ain't My Lookout (Sub Pop)
Nick wrote... >My current fave, dreamy, fuzzy, reverbed recent releases are Once Dreamt's >_Drifting_ 12" and either of Roy Montgomery's CDs _Scenes From the South >Island_ or the new one on kranky that is just as great, but >I've only heard it a leettle bit. (The Magnog CD from kranky sounds pretty >cool too, but I've heard even less of it.) G Gil will have to expound on >them. Jeez. And just when I was on my coffee break. :) Okay. GuerillaG gives two hearty paws-up to the Magnog and Roy Montgomery CDs. Want more info? Here ya go... (reprinted without express permission from a future issue of the Big Takeover - but I wrote 'em, so...) -His early bands, PIN GROUP and SHALLOWS, defined the Velvets-influenced direction of early Flying Nun with their few 45"s... -DADAMAH were of another dimension of greatness; I've rambled about them before... -Chris Heaphy and Roy formed DISSOLVE, taking a cinematic approach to harsh, uncompromising guitar-scrape layering. Kranky again, of course. -Roy was one of FLYING SAUCER ATTACK's many live guitarists, continuing the tradition that ex-FSA folks have of releasing stunning life-changing works of art (see: Movietone, Third Eye Foundation, Amp, etc) ROY MONTGOMERY TEMPLE IV (Kranky) DADAMAH never got their chance to rule the world. DISSOLVE remains a rare treasure discovered by far too few. The link between the two bands, guitarist ROY MONTGOMERY, probably doesn't care. His own solo work, numerous 7"s , the extraordinary Scenes From the South Island, and Temple IV, bears the mark of a man who makes music with little regard for commercial success. The long and contemplative tracks of Temple IV seem to unspool from Montgomery's very soul, unconcerned with formalities such as hooks, choruses, and faux angst. Both Vini Reilly and Maurice Deebank have grazed these same pastures, but they only rarely managed the lithe organic efflorescence of Montgomery's six-string lyricism. Though the gentle melodicism of the music belies it, there's great pain in every shimmering note. The heartache of loss nurtures Temple IV like a stream, sometimes bubbling to the surface as ribbons of caustic feedback. More often the music glides like a karmic river - washing away hurt and suffering in its deeply reflective flow. Praise Kranky for yet another album of eloquence and subtle power. (PO Box 578743, Chicago IL 60657) If you dig Montgomery, try LOREN MAZZACANE-CONNORS. He's bluesier and a little more interested in pure tones than in melodies. But his playing grabs you and doesn't let go. His live improvised collaboration with Japanese guitar guru, Keijii Haino, would make an excellent starting point for exploring Mazzacane. Quiet and introspective, but burning with inner fire. Yet another guy with a crappy ($60, actually) guitar, a heavily abused amp, and a spirit bursting with extraordinary music. MAGNOG MAGNOG (Kranky) Magnog appear on the scene without the customary collectible debut singles, materializing out of thin ether with a disc-filling (11 minutes more on vinyl) journey into spacious ambience. At first glance these three as-drone-auts resemble their labelmates, Bowery Electric. Then ticklish Eastern riffage, geometric as a mosque frieze, peeks out from under the slabs of drone. "Relay" is shaken by lashes of surly feedback as it floats, dirigible-like, in a turbid sea of clouds. Reflections of the great Dif Juz are visible in the sprinting guitars of "Learning Forgetfulness," gilding the song's flowing FSAish theme. Dual Moog lines spiral through the ambiguous "Shapeshifter," gradually defining its sinuous form. All these elements merge for the gorgeous starstreaked "A Moments Seam" and "Borne Upon Waves," more soothing than a mug of warm milk and honey before bed. Maybe it's a "Kranky thing" or just a consequence of being neighbors of Jessamine (whose ANDY BROWN produces and adds more keyboards). Whatever it is, Magnog's first spacewalk lands them firmly in the highest echelon of cosmic troubadours. (PO Box 578743, Chicago IL 60657) Lookit dat! I even got a Classic 4AD reference in there... NOW it's a thislisty post! These are two SERIOUSLY fine albums. As are the recent efforts from Flies Inside the Sun and Doramaar (both featuring another Dadamite, Kim Pieters). Why can't the next Kranky be Jessamine's double-platter instead of another ho-hum serving of Spiny Anteaters?! Oh well.... I just met Bruce Adams (Mr. Kranky), and he seemed to have his proverbial "stuff" together - so we'll just have to trust him. Maybe DrunkenFish will come through with that rumored "Music of the Spheres" boxed set, featuring collaborations between Bardo Pond, Jessamine, Roy Montgomery, and someone else whose name escapes me right now. Vinyl only... of course. One more thislisty (sorta) byte: The new Moose (for which I'd been waiting since early October!) is as brilliant as all the 'old' Moose. "Live a Little Love a Lot" retains the patent Moose twinkling layered pop, and features vocal contributions from Liz Frasier on the magnificent "Play God." It's so great to see that they're still around, and that they haven't lost a bit of their genius. Speaking of 'still around...', Insides were really on to something with "Euphoria". Where are they now?! Come baaaaaaaaaack! - and now my coffee's cold. S'okay... I'm a tea-totaller myself. :) GuerillaG one word: IMMERSION. Colin Newman was ahead of his time yet again
Well, finally! I've had a whole 4 hours to myself, so here are some more results. Sorry for the delay, and thank you for not hounding me, everyone! CJ Once again, the first number indicates the total number of votes received for each release; the second tells how many different people cast votes for that release. WORST 4AD GRAPHIC DESIGN OF THE YEAR 1. (40)Air Miami-Me, Me, Me (4) (40)Amps-Pacer (4) 3. (35)Scheer-Schism (4) 4. (30)Lisa Gerrard-The Mirror Pool (4) 5. (23)Liquorice-Listening Cap (5) 6. (20)Wolfgang Press-Funky Little Demons (3) (20)No Balls Sampler (2) (20)1996 Calendar (2) 9. (17)Kendra Smith-5 Ways of Disappearing (3) 10. (15) Mojave 3-Ask Me Tomorrow (2) MOST BORING POST ON 4AD-L Okay, this one was interesting. I tried to categorize them, but few of them matched anything else exactly. I refuse to post names of specific people whose posts were mentioned, but I have lumped them together into one category with no names mentioned. I will not play courier to this kind of unkindness. A couple of standouts and then most of the other categories: 1. (90)Postings directed at or defending specific people (13) 2. (42)Personal slagging for varying tastes in music (5) 3. (25)Subscribe/Unsubscribe posts (5) "Me too posts" "Miki Berenyi Pronunciation Guide" "Like I could pick..." "Mine coz I only talk about 4AD stuff" "XXX sucks vs. XXX rules" "Personal responses to the list" "The 'I want to pop Miki' post" "Anything about etiquette" "Digest reposting thing" "Auctions" "Anything about (name a band here)" "Non 4AD posts" "The Red House Painters one" "Lush=Elastica" "Cocteau Twins titles/obsessives" ARTIST OF THE YEAR WE WISH WERE ON 4AD Please pardon anything not spelled correctly! 1. (34) ESP Summer (4) 2. (21) Cocteau Twins (4) 3. (20) Medicine (2) 4. (15) Dirty Three (2) 5. (14) Innocence Mission (3) Also mentioned: An April March/The Apples/Bel Canto/Bjork/The Blue Nile/Bowery Electric/Chinchilla/DJ Shadow/Mark Eitzel/Elysium/ESP Beetles/Grant Lee Buffalo/Lida Husik & Beaumant Hannant/Ivy (NYC one)/Laika/Leftfield/Legendary Jim Ruiz Group/Low/Luna/Mellonta Tauta/Miranda Sex Garden/Mistle Thrush/Movietone/My Bloody Valentine/October Project/Palace Bros/PJ Harvey/Po!/Pram/Radiohead/Red House Painters/Shelleyan Orphan/Spoonfed Hybrid/Starchild/Stina Nordentam/Swirlies/David Sylvian/Tindersticks/Tricky/Versus/Weezer/Yo La Tengo/Hector Zazou
I found a Lillies 7" awhile ago but it had no Symon Ramonde; no Miki Berenyi; no guys from Moose. The title has the word "water" in it and the artwork is god awful! I thought this was the "And David Seamen Won't be Happy About That" thing that was put out awhile ago. The one I got sounds like Cast or the La's (REALLY corny brit pop). Is the one I'm looking even still avalible? Were the Lillies (the one with Miki)just a one time affair? Brian
I just recieved an extra copy of scheer's new album "infliction". the first $10 gets it... I also have a copy of the promo seven inch (cat #scheer 1) with a live demo version of demon and a demo of howling boy. first $8 gets it. steve gszaks@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu
Hello, I've decided to break my four month lurker status and post about the Idaho show I witnessed last night. There has been some discussion of late about this band, so I felt it was appropriate to bring it up. Seeing as how I'm a college kid in Moscow, Idahell, it's a pretty big deal when a band comes here that isn't partial to Phish or a shitty punk rock joke. they played at a local bar in front of about 50 people for roughly an hour. Cost was a mere $3, and it was worth much more in my opinion. They played tracks off all of their albums, most noteably "God's Green Earth", "skysraper," "fuel," and "a sound awake." The boys had just driven into town after a day of non-stop driving from Minnesota. I believe that they're playing in Seattle and Portland within the next few days. Their show was really great and I had a chance to chat with them afterwards about their past and their gear setup, which is quite impressive. Jeff, the singer, told me about his custom made four-string guitars which some Canadian guy built for him. Apparantly he worked for fender back in the 50s, which seems pretty credible to me. I picked up a 10" from them after the show on fingerpaint records, including colored thumbprints of each member on a postcard inside. Some of you might be familiar with Beck's release on the same label not too long ago(very lo-fi). However, seeing as how my stereo is currently out of service, i'll have wait to listen to it. Anyways, if Idaho comes to a town near you I highly recommend checking them out. They're a very nice bunch of guys and their music really defies categorizing, sortof like RHP but harder with much more feedback throughout. Speaking of RHP, there was also some discussion a while back about which albums to buy from them. Personally, Down Colorful Hill is my fave, and "Medicine Bottle" is one of my favorite songs of all time. Mark's singing really blows me away on a consistent basis and he writes some of the most complex song structures I've ever heard. Oh yes, someone also made the comment that the second version of "New Jersey" was inferior to the origional, let me just say that I disagree with that one. And what can I say, I really like their rendition of "I am a rock." Looking forward to hearing their new album, whenever that might be. Dave "I'm in the middle of a big bike race."
erikas@evo.org, last updated by Eyesore Automation on 4-6-1996