Today's Tunage Sandwich

[Finch Platte]

What's spinnin'?

Me? You had to ask, dintcha.

Troy'sXTC comp- The Thunder In Your Head. Good stuff, with only a few clunkers, imho. I made a copy for a friend who's also a fan, and he's digging it as well. Tanks!

Dave Weckl Band's LIVE (and very plugged in)- A recent 2-disc release finds Dave and friends in what sounds like a club setting, showing off their mastery of their domains. As usual, very well-recorded, and astounding chops abound. I wish there were more songs I recognized, tho.

Kinky- Atlas- Still getting used to this amalgam of styles. Hispanic electronica. Perky and great for road trips.

Peter Murphy- Cascade- Would love to make a comp of this guy. If only I had more of his discs.

The latest Hoobastank, The Reason. Rolling Stone gave it 2 or 2.5 stars. It'll tide me over 'til the new Incubus comes out. How come no one here likes Incubus?

And Porky Tree and Uriah Heep, thanks to Demetrio, in a deal gone sour. At least for him. :(

And you?

fp

[Troy]

So, what were the XTC clunker songs, dood?

http://www.lostamerica.com/samplestuff/tuesday.jpg

That Starclock is extremely overproduced power pop. Some of it is excellent. Yes, it's grown on me.

The last 2 tracks on that Supergrass disc are killers.

Laika and the Cosmonauts are my favorite of the bazillions of modern retro-surf bands. Very Ventures.

Keneally's "Sluggo!" is one of my favorite albums of the 90s.

I made this dark little song in GarageBand. I laid every note by hand. No factory loops were used. I'm totally addicted.

http://www.designshed.com/toonage/Fangs.mp3

[ForeverAutumn]

Alright Finch, since it's been 1.5 hours since you posted this and no-one has responded to you, I'll take pity on you and tell you what I've been listening to, even thought I don't usually participate in the Tuesday Spinach thread. :rolleyes:

The Trews - House of Ill Fame - I'm loving this disk (see previous post and concert review). This has dominated my listening time since I bought the disk two weeks ago.

Live in the X Lounge VI - this is a disk sent to me by JDaniel. I think that it's a collection of songs recorded live in a radio station's studio. It's mostly accoustic and includes bands like Coldplay, REM, Jason Mraz, Peter Yorn and others. Very good.

My own Canadian Comp - for those of you who requested copies, they will be going out shortly. Bad weather and a bad cold have kept me from making my way to the post office. My sincerest apologies for the delay.

Finch's Heavy Hangers comp. And, yes, I turned the cover around. ;) This is a little heavier than I usually listen to. Some good stuff on here but I need to be in the right mood. Good road rage music.

DPM's Metal of Ages I and II - I loved disk I, but haven't gotten to disk II yet. It looks equally enjoyable. I'm hiding these from my husband for now. Otherwise, they'll end up in his truck and I'll never see them again. :D

Nickelback- The Long Road - More of the same. If you've heard their last CD there's not much new here. It's all starting to sound the same to me. I'm almost regretting buying tickets for their concert on Feb. 10. But see below for the real reason I'm going.

Three Days Grace - S/T - Getting ready to see them on Feb. 10. This is one of my favourite disks from 2003. They're opening for Nickelback.

[ForeverAutumn]

I guess Troy took pity on you too! ;)

[tentoze]

What's spinnin'?

fp
Jason Molina's new Pyramid Electric Co on a nice slab of vinyl.
Just in yesterday- an Et Al comp from my pahdnuh in TX- thanks- It's my drive-time disk today and sounding great.
Also, Live In The X Lounge from JDaniel, a commercial comp from one of the B'Ham radio stations that has some great acoustic live turns on it from Coldplay, REM, J. Mraz, etc............

Picked up over the wk-end:
Mekons, Journey To The End Of Night
John Vanderslice, Cellar Door- indie-pop with a great attention to detail on production. I like it.
Handsome Family, Singing Bones- they've been on my wishlist after hearing a few cuts along the way over the last year or so. HOLY ****E, this is a superb album! Southwest desert musical landscapes populated by sleepwalking girls in white nightgowns, bottomless holes, and ghosts who haunt all-night department stores. Brett Sparks sings "No one hears the singing bones"- I did and I'm damned glad, too. A quiet masterpiece.

Waiting for the mail to bring Ghost's new release, Hypnotic Underworld. Supposed to be a giant-killer.

[Finch Platte]

...I could get a copy of the Nickelback when you get over that cold? I listened to it at Tower and would have bought it, 'cept they wanted $1,654,924 for it.

Road rage disc- that's about it, idden it? :p

And yes, this is your pity reply. Sort of.

fp

[Finch Platte]

So, what were the XTC clunker songs?

I'll listen to it in the car again, but my clunkers are probably your oh, never mind. I tend to like the bombastic-sounding songs w/ big drums, as opposed to the tinklier toons.

fp

[Dave_G]

Ya Finchie, whata ya say are the lousy XTC toons on that comp?

Anyhouse, I played:

The new Pallas concert dvd. Man these guys are killer. I wish I could go to nearfest this year, only to see TMB and Pallas and Strawbs. This dvd is one of the few I can actually watch the whole thing. If you like IQ you should like this one a lot, I do, it's excellent.

Queen - Innuendo. Excellent stuff on this.

Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent. Ya I still like this set from 1975. Nobody played like Ted did back then.

Ultravox - Vienna. I liked this album the first time I heard it and I still like it a lot. Ure's voice was great on this one.

John Foxx - Metamatic - new wave synth doom gloom weirdness that is stunning. This is a way required album for anyone who likes old school new wave synth, and it's real heavy on the synth too.

Jean Luc Ponty - Enigmatic Ocean.

The new Fixx cd - it's getting better! Probably will end up liking it a lot after a while.

The Tangent - gift fron Troy. I can tolerate this at best, too much noodling and wishy washy jazz/prog/whatever Roine stuff for me to really dig.

Camel - Nod and Wink - I like this cd a whole lot. Muy excellento listen alone stuff on the hifi.

Regards,

Greazer

[skewiff]

Here's my contribution

The Coral......Magic and Medicine
The Coral......Night freak and the Sons of Becker
Blur .............Think Tank
British Sea Power........The decline of..
Neil Young......On the Beach
The Ramones ....It's Alive
Dandy Warhols.....13 Tales
XTC/Dukes of......Chips from the Chocolate Fireball
Joe Strummer.......Streetcore
Jimmy Cliff......1st album
The Turtles.......Greatest Hits
Davey's Seasons Greetings 2003
18 tracks years best Mojo

Some good stuff, Two totally different efforts from The Coral.
Great reggae, Jimmy Cliff.
BSP.Love this.
Great pop, the Turtles and Blur Dandy Warhols.

Tony

[mad rhetorik]

Minutemen: <b>Double Nickels On The Dime</b>
At The Drive In: <b>Relationship Of Command</b>
Echo & The Bunnymen: <b>Ocean Rain</b>
Derek And The Dominoes: <b>Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs</b>
Opeth: <b>Damnation</b>

[Troy]

I Wanna See the Setlist for Troy's XTC comp

Here yar Craptain America.

http://www.designshed.com/cdcovers/xtc.thunder.jpg

Bonus point for the individual that can tell me which XTC song on this disc the lyric "The Thunder In Your Head" is from.

[Mike]

Amy Whitehouse – Frank, R&B with a touch of soulful jazz
Ryan Adams – Love is Hell, a mini gem which the record company rejected
Joss Stone – Soul Sessions, has a raw 70’s sound to it
Goldfrapp – Black Cherry
The Strokes – Room On Fire
Muse – Absolution
Peter Gabriel - So
Cranberrries – Wake up and Smell the Coffee
Yes – Ultimate remastered collection, cracking stuff especially the 70’s material
Black Eyed Peas – Elephunk, IMO better than Outkast
Dandy Warhols – Welcome to the Monkey House
Alex Gopher – You My Baby and I, worth it for the sampled Billy Holiday track

Comps
Hedkandi – Beach House comp
JC’s best of 2003
Govt Mule from Tony W, fantastic live sound over 3 discs
Yello - Comp

ps Great XTC cover Troy

Cheers
Mike

[Dave_G]

6,7,13,14,17 I bet are on Finchies clunker list.

And maybe that lyric is encased in 1 of those songs. Those are the least known by me of the tracklist.

I like the artwork a lot.

Dave

[-Jar-]

Minutemen: <b>Double Nickels On The Dime</b>
At The Drive In: <b>Relationship Of Command</b>
Echo & The Bunnymen: <b>Ocean Rain</b>
Derek And The Dominoes: <b>Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs</b>
Opeth: <b>Damnation</b>

It's been a while since I spun DOUBLE NICKELS.. too long! One of my favorite pieces of vinyl is their PUNCH LINE ep.. I must have spun that thing a thousand times.. and it's easy considering it's only about 12 minutes on each side! But what an exhillerating listen. I finally got it autographed by Mr. Watt a few years ago..

OCEAN RAIN is just fantastic. I never warmed up to any of their other albums like I have with that one.

I'm allergic to Clapton.

I listened to Opeth's DELIVERANCE this week.. what an intense listen that is.. I like DAMNATION a lot too.. it will be very interesting to hear what they do next.

I can't remember if I listened to anything else besides my own comps this past week. Oh I spun most of RPM's Echoes of Dreams comp.. I wish he'd get in here already.

I was working on another electronic/ambient/dub mix this past week. Has some more Paul Schutze, Bill Laswell and Autechre, some Laika and some Meat Beat Manifesto, even a little Beta Band and some My Bloody Valentine and a track I stole from Chris (Salmonella Dub).. came out real nice. Dunno why I've been in the mood for this stuff recently.

-jar

[Dave_G]

Troy,

Link some of your music to your night photos and yer set for a multi media gig.

Keep at it.

You could come up with something unique.

Can you inject vocals.

Dave

[Troy]

Troy,

Link some of your music to your night photos and yer set for a multi media gig.

You could come up with something unique.

Can you inject vocals.

Dave

Funny you mention that, but a photographer I know is currently shooting a documentary on night photography and he's doing a segment on me (!) and when I played that track for him he immediately wanted to use a section of that song (with the sinister bass sax sound) as background for a slide show of my imagery in the film. Kewl!

Yes, you can get a USB plug mic and it's just plug-n-play. I am still trying to find a cheap MIDI keyboard . . .

My guess as to Finch's clunkers:
12, 13, 15.

Finch?

Thanks Mike.

[jasn]

Thin Lizzy: Bad Reputation
Led Zepplin: Houses of the Holy (I needed my dose of No Quarter)
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland (likewise for 1983...A Mermaid...)
The Mighty Lemon Drops: World WIthout End
The Devlins: Drift
Big Star: Third/Sister Lovers
Joe Cocker: S/T
Gov't Mule: The Deepest End (CD and DVD)
Supergrass: In it for the Money
Ben Harper: Diamonds on the Inside
A Perfect Circle: Thirteenth Step
Clearlake: Cedars
The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow
Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts of thew Great Highway
The Stills: Logic Will Break Your Heart

[DariusNYC]

There are no clunkers on that comp as far as I can see. Nice!

If I was doing an XTC comp, I couldn't resist putting "Living Through Another Cuba" on there, because I can never get enough of when Partridge ends the refrain with the big "-BA!" in Cuba. Call me shallow.

I'll have to think a bit about the answer to your trivia question.

[DariusNYC]

I've been listening a lot to Greendale from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. When I saw it performed live I thought it was quite overblown, but on record it just relaxes me and imparts large amounts of pleasure. It's amazing how such a big star can make an album that's so amaturish-sounding, yet its guilelessness is one of its main attractions. A winner, and my favorite album of his since Ragged Glory.

Also, Weezer's self-titled debut has been getting a lot of recent play from me, since I downloaded it from iTunes. I really missed the boat on these guys when they first came out, although I wouldn't have if I was in high school when these guys hit. This is perfect teenage music. They're not afraid to be big and dumb and emotional, but at the same time they're really smart. Love the Beach Boys, Kiss and Cheap Trick influences. "Buddy Holly" and "Undone (The Sweater Song)" are just fantastic singles.

I've been listening to a playlist I made of downloaded recent singles (hence my offer on the SuperBowl thread to put together a comp containing a lot of this stuff). Have folks heard "Danger! High Voltage" from the Electric Six? Or "Ignition Remix" from R. Kelly? Or "Made You Look" from Nas (for anyone who can stand rap)? I found some great toonage.

The Cure, Head on the Door (another legally downloaded blast from the past).

XTC, Black Sea and Oranges and Lemons

The Police, Regatta de Blanc and Ghost in the Machine

The Best of the Ronnettes

Lou Reed, Ecstasy

Outkast, Speakerboxx

The Strokes, Room on Fire

[Jim Clark]

[QUOTE=Davey
<a href=http://members.mailaka.net/davey/avatar/avatar.htm>Davey's confusing avatar history page</a>[/QUOTE].



So where's the Intruder?

My listening included some great toons and some really bad ones. Almost all new from either the library or the used store:

Stones year end comp. Good start-weaker middle (for me)-revs up near the end-wilts just a touch at the very end (again, for me). A couple of tracks would make my Rave Recs Best of 2003 comp and those would be-The Hidden Cameras-Ban Marriage, TV On The Radio's Staring At The Sun, and Sufjan Steven's track stands a fairly decent chance at showing up too. Thanks a ton Stone.

Trance Classics-Various Artists
Moby-Moby Songs
Moby-S/T
Uncle Dirtytoes-Foot To The Path-what was I thinking?
Marianne Faithful-20'th Century Blues -Not one thing bluesy about this and believe it or not, that's not a good thing here.
Dressed In Black-Johny Cash Tribute. Funny no matter who's singing I still hear Johnny Cash, a couple of tracks are uncanny, almost like they're doing voice impressions. No big names here Hank Williams III and Rev. Horton Heat are the only two I've even heard of.

George Thorogood-Ride Till I die-a track or two is OK, the rest blows

Ofra Haza-Desert Wind Been a fave since the early days of Sire Record samplers

Elvis Presley-30 #1 Hits. sounds great!

Neil Young-Are You Passionate?

Bing Crosby-His Greatest Hits of the 30's. The man can sing, not always the best songs, but he can sing.

Uncle Tupelo, March 16-20. Not nearly as good as I had hoped.

Nick Lowe, Dig My Mood. NO THANKYOU! I doubt even DLD would like this although Failed Christian and Man That I've Become are listenable.

Lynyrd Skynyrd-Vicious Cycle-Wow do these guys like power ballads. Too bad I don't but again, a track or two are OK.

Aphex Twin-26 Mixes For Cash-Love this one

Chris Thomas King-Dirty South Hip Hop blues, some outstanding songs on this one including the opening and Revelations

All for now.

jc
jc

[tugmcmartin]

We had our carpet replaced at home last weekend so almost all of my music was packed away last week. What i was able to listen to was what was in my car and what i received in the mail.

Allman Brothers - First and Second Set(s)
Robert Randolph and the Family Band - Unclassified
emmett swimming - fifty cent earplugs
Brown Couch - Curious
Dave Matthews - Remember Two Things
Phish - Hoist
Widespread Panic - Live From the Classic City (Disc 1)
moe. - Warts and All, Vol. 3 (Disc 1)

Also received in the mail World Party's "Goodbye Jumbo" from Swish. Thanks a ton for that one buddy! Just as great as i remembered it to be. And ChipB's Blues Deluxe 2 came yesterday. My favorite of that series. Thanks Chip for the replacement.

Sadly i have nothing on the radar that i'm looking forward to buying.

T-

[Dusty Chalk]

The Coral......Night freak and the Sons of BeckerI just picked that up, too, liked it a lot. Harder than their previous efforts. Not sure why it's called a mini-album, or why it's going to be limited.

[MindGoneHaywire]

Finally got to hear a couple of things I was quite curious about, and both disappointed me slightly. One was the Outkast double album, which a friend raved about. Speakerboxx I didn't connect with at all, really, and while I liked the Love Below much better, I still didn't think it was worth all the hype. Both are good, solid hip-hop albums, I guess, but either my standards are way too high or I've got to get the crud out of my ears. I'll have to give them both another listen, of course, but the first time around, it just didn't do it for me. I've got a copy of Aquanime, or whatever it's called, laying around also, I'll have to give that a try. I guess Andre 3000 is more to my liking than the other guy, but whatever. It just seems that Eminem remains the only guy around that can put together a rap album these days that I think is a great & inspired work from start to finish. But maybe I'm just being picky.

Then I was listening to the new Califone, something about a Heron, which I was mighty curious about since Davey's so into them. Well...my usual comments about how so much indie-type stuff I hear sounds like this or that, blah blah blah, don't exactly apply. Still, I put it on with a blank slate in terms of expectations, & it sounded like a bit of a watered-down Captain Beefheart rip. Is that a terrible description? There were moments here or there, but overall it just didn't move me all that much. There's an extended jam, and I think I hear something along the lines of Dr. John's I Walk On Gilded Splinters, but I'm not sure. Maybe I need to give this one another listen also.

I was a bit suspicious of Thrill Jockey in general after my experience with the Sea & Cake, but while the Califone rec is still definitely in my 'iffy at best' pile, there was a TJ offering that I thought was much better: Bobby Conn's Homeland. A good example of an indie-style singer-songwriter type rec that isn't all the things that all the other ones sound like to me, not so bland, not so boring. Now, just as I might listen to either the Outkast or the Califone & decide that I had rocks in my head the first time around, I might throw this one on again & wonder what it was I was hearing in it. So far, though, it made a good impression on me--even if only because, again, I had little in the way of expectations, and also because I had been let down by the others.

Also managed to throw on Miles Davis' In A Silent Way a few times. Now this I didn't really expect to like at all, but I've gotta hand it to Mad Rhetorik, he nails it on this one. Way better, less constipated, more listenable than B*tches Brew. I mean, it's not really fusion. There may not be a hardcore jazz sensibility going on, but at least there's something I can go with. Nothing here screams at me to throw the disc out the window, like B*tches Brew or even On The Corner; actually I think it's pretty good. And I get the sense I'll like it more & more as I listen to it over time. I don't think I'll ever like it as much as, say, Sketches Of Spain, but I'll tell you what, it now piques my curiosity for Miles Smiles...I used to own a copy of Nefertiti, which isn't offensive, but not what I'd call very good, either. This? This is good. Me like. And considering when it was recorded--after Nefertiti, which I thought was just lite masturbatory noodling, and before B*tches Brew, which is heavy--like lead, only lead that, uh, smells real bad, if you can imagine such a thing--I just didn't think there was any way I'd like this. But hell, stranger things have happened.

Heard the June Carter Cash album Wildwood Flower. GOOD stuff. I've got to get around to listening to that one again. In a similar vein, Cracker, with Leftover Salmon, O Cracker Where Art Thou, which are down-home country/bluegrassy sort of versions of Cracker songs. Oh, how precious. I mean, it's good, but Cracker always kind of annoyed me, in spite of some good tunes. The coy, contrived cleverness just kinda always rubbed me the wrong way. Don't know why. But Lowery started to annoy me a long time ago, when CVB was still together (they've re-formed, haven't they?). I can listen to Telephone Free Landslide Victory a million times a week & never tire of it; but the clever album titles, the 'look at me, I'm so clever' 'tude, the general glibness always bothered me. Oh, well. This is a pretty good rec all in all, even if it is gimmicky, representing that cleverness at its worst, if such a thing is possible.

Heard an advance of the Brides Of Destruction. Won't be out for another month or so. I think it's Tracii Guns & Nikki Sixx? Whatever. Hey, there are a few Motley Crue songs I actually think are good, though I could never be bothered to actually buy one of their albums. This doesn't sound all that bad, all things considered, though I only got 4 songs in. I don't think it's the next Meet The Beatles or anything, but hey, considering the relative lameness of the genre, it sounded like there was at least some decent songwriting going on. I'll have to give it another spin though. I have to say, I'm not crazy about the idea that I'd like this rec more than the Outkast rec, but so far that's the case. Surprising, but true.

Punk rock: Wire's On Returning, 1977-1979...never heard much of this band, I remember when they were around in the 80s, they were kind of techno-ish, or electronic, anyway, having gone that sort of route. All I'd ever heard of them was 12XU, on the Burning Ambitions comp. This is the sh*t. Although maf would probably tell me I'm an idgit for missing out on them for so long. Well, it was my loss. No longer. Jet--Get Born. Wow, great boogie-punk single; the rest of the album isn't spectacular, or anything, but with a single that amazing, it doesn't have to be. Probably the single best track I've heard in years, as much as I like some of the true anthems on the Strummer album. It just hit me real hard. And I heard another punk revival band, the God Awfuls, whose record will be coming out soon...considering the relative state of punk revival bands these days, I certainly wasn't expecting much. But instead of a bunch of snotnoses from Southern California who know nothing about nothing & do covers of stuff like Don Henley songs & filter their sound through Sum 41 as they filtered it through Blink 182 as they filtered it through Green Day...these guys seem to be a bunch of older snotnoses who do what they can to sound more like Social Distortion, maybe crossed with the Angry Samoans, than friggin' Suck 57 or Glop 318 or whatever the hell else these sucky bands call themselves. A yes vote, so far.

Threw on some electronica & found something I liked, a couple of songs off the new Teflon Tel Aviv album, and something I didn't, Dani Siciliano & Chachi Jones. Then there was this Curse Of The Golden Vampire Album. Har-dee-har-har. I almost p*ssed myself laughing at this crap. Just got finished listening to the first Aztec Camera album; last night found the time to throw on Beck's Sea Change; listened to a bunch of Hendrix earlier; and then I was putting together a comp for one of these 'rap is not music' guys, for which I have a wider array of choices than I did the last time I did one of these, which was probably for HYFI. Outside of that, there is no good music anymore.

[Mike]

I just picked that up, too, liked it a lot. Harder than their previous efforts. Not sure why it's called a mini-album, or why it's going to be limited.

I've not heard it yet but I liked their last two offerings. I've read it was the band that wanted to push the album out a sort of stop gap before the next album. It was a hurried affair recorded in a week and will be a limited edition.

So far it seems to get mixed reviews from pure brilliance to why did they bother. Personally if I'm shelling out for something I would rather it was worth the effort but I'll reserve judgement until I've heard it.

Cheers
Mike

[Stone]

Haven't had much time to listen, as I'm on the road, but here's a few I brought with me and have listened to:

The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

Devendra Banhart - Oh Me Oh My . . .

Etoile de Dakar (feat. Youssou N'Dour) - Etoile de Dakar Vol. 1

Manu Chao - Proxima Estacion Esperanza
A client is a huge world music fan and he's slowly feeding me a lot of the stuff he really likes. This was one he gave to me recently to listen to (as was the Youssou N'Dour) and I must say it's fantastic. It's upbeat and accessible, almost reggae, but it can't really be categorized that neatly. A really fun record.

[Finch Platte]

My guess as to Finch's clunkers:
12, 13, 15.

Finch?



Yatch Dance(track 12), altho it's in my collection, doesn't do much for me. Shame you didn't use Down In The Cockpit instead. I've got an LP remix of that, while long, is pretty cool. Nothing against track 13, it's kinda pretty. 15? Eh. The one that bugs me is That's Really Super, Supergirl. Makes me wanna wash my ears out with soap.

There. Happy, pappy? :p

fp

[Finch Platte]

You do have this disc, doncha?

fp

[Troy]

You do have this disc, doncha?

fp

Oh sure. I also have all the 12" vinyl releases of the rarities on that disc.

I'll try and keep the intensity level up for you more in the future. Speedfreak.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Punk rock: Wire's On Returning, 1977-1979...never heard much of this band, I remember when they were around in the 80s, they were kind of techno-ish, or electronic, anyway, having gone that sort of route. All I'd ever heard of them was 12XU, on the Burning Ambitions comp. This is the sh*t.

"This is the sh*t". Is that good? It's so hard to keep up with the new expressions the kids are using these days. Is that like when they say "bad" they really mean good? If it is good, it makes me feel bad (the bad-bad, not the good-bad), that I've been dragging my feet on sending you a Wire comp. I checked the tracklist on "On Returning" and it's good, but of the 20 songs on my Wire "Pop Songs" comp, only nine are on "ON Returning", so I'm gonna put it in the mail to you today. The Pop Songs moniker is as you'd expect, those Wire tunes that could be classified as "pop" in nature, I left out the punk songs, (unless they were pop-punk, like "Champs"), and it does cover their whole career, including the '03 release.

Now, if you meant "sh*t" to mean bad, email me with a cease and desist order.

[MindGoneHaywire]

It was meant to be a compliment.

[mad rhetorik]

Also managed to throw on Miles Davis' In A Silent Way a few times. Now this I didn't really expect to like at all, but I've gotta hand it to Mad Rhetorik, he nails it on this one. Way better, less constipated, more listenable than B*tches Brew. I mean, it's not really fusion. There may not be a hardcore jazz sensibility going on, but at least there's something I can go with. Nothing here screams at me to throw the disc out the window, like B*tches Brew or even On The Corner; actually I think it's pretty good. And I get the sense I'll like it more & more as I listen to it over time. I don't think I'll ever like it as much as, say, Sketches Of Spain, but I'll tell you what, it now piques my curiosity for Miles Smiles...I used to own a copy of Nefertiti, which isn't offensive, but not what I'd call very good, either. This? This is good. Me like. And considering when it was recorded--after Nefertiti, which I thought was just lite masturbatory noodling, and before B*tches Brew, which is heavy--like lead, only lead that, uh, smells real bad, if you can imagine such a thing--I just didn't think there was any way I'd like this. But hell, stranger things have happened.

I'm glad you dug <b>In A Silent Way</b>. In case you're interested, there is another fusion Miles album that you may like titled <b>Big Fun</b>. It's made up of material recorded directly after <b>B-tches' Brew</b> and released in 1974, but sort of bridges the gap between <b>Silent Way</b> and <b>B-tches' Brew</b>. It's busier and less ambient than the former, but feels way less "elephant turd" than the latter, and, well, more fun. : P Might be worth your while, though it's kinda tough to find. Can't come upon a copy of it anywhere.

Yeah, me definitely likes <b>In A Silent Way</b>. To me it was Miles' last great album (though I still haven't heard <b>Jack Johnson</b> yet) and a natural evolution from the stuff he was doing with his second quartet. In my mind <b>Silent Way</b> might be even better than <b>Kind Of Blue</b>, though I realize that's probably a minority opinion. Actually, there are a few Miles albums I like more than <b>Kind Of Blue</b>--<b>Milestones</b>, <b>Round Midnight</b>, and possibly even <b>Somethin' Else</b>, which is technically a Cannonball Adderly album though Miles supposedly wrote the bulk of the music, so I count it as such.

Anyway, I still need to dig into your Beach Boys comp and <b>SMILE</b>. I will keep an open mind, and I am fully prepared to eat my previous negative verbiage regarding the Beach Boys if need be. : P I'll keep ya posted.

[nobody]

Been kinda busy lately, not much time to post a detailed list...but here are a few things...

Electric Skychurch - Sonic Diary
Anybody else listen to this? I liked it when I got it, and it just keeps growing on me. Totally synthetic soundscapes. If anybody's heard anything else from these guys and would like to recommend something, I'd like to know. Or if anyone knows anything that is in a similar vein.

Tricky: Maxinquaye - Great debut. I still think the rest of his catalog is underrated, but this one is top notch.

Massive Attack: Blue Lines - I go back to this one a ton. Just always seems to sound right.

Some jazz stuff...

Thelonious Monk: Genius of Modern Music - Why yes he is!

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool - Until his fusion period, Miles did no wrong in my book. I do like In a Silent Way though. Spotty after that to me.

Some 80s stuff
The Alarm: Declaration and their self-titled EP - Finally saw the Bands Reunited on these guys and it made me grab a listen.

And, one more thing I wanna mention before I stop. <b>Soul Galore</b> comps. I've got 5 volumes of these and can't for the life of me remember who did them. If anyone knows, please tell me. These are just great. You get lesser known gemms and mid level hits from some great artists. I love every volume.

Tons more, but no time to keep typing so you get what comes to my mind first.

[BarryL]

I made this dark little song in GarageBand. I laid every note by hand. No factory loops were used. I'm totally addicted.

http://www.designshed.com/toonage/Fangs.mp3


That glockenspeil percussion sound that comes in about 30 seconds from the end is killer. Looks like a fun program. And for only $49 bucks, huh? I'll have to pick one up this week and take a crack after I upgrade to Panther on my home system.

Been listening to Caravan's Waterloo Lily and Bo Hansson's Lord of the Rings. Not very interesting.

Neal Morse looks like a dork through most of the Transatlantic DVD, but he is certainly a talented musician. He needs to learn how to relax on stage. Everything seems so stilted.

[Davey.]

Then I was listening to the new Califone, something about a Heron, which I was mighty curious about since Davey's so into them.
Yeah, I haven't heard the new one but they are one of my favorites. I never heard much of a Beefheart connection in the previous albums myself, but they do seem to be pushing that aspect in the press releases for the new one and I've noticed that, not surprisingly, most of the reviews have picked up on it too :). The part of the sound I like the most is that dirty gospel blues that seems to be lifted from Exile on Main Street. The Roomsound album probably exploited that sound most successfully. I did do a Califone comp awhile back that was a pretty good overview of their last two albums prior to Heron King Blues and the EP they did for Road Cone. They've also been doing some rather avant garde soundtrack work in a limited series of Deceleration releases that I kinda like but it's way too out there for your tastes, I would guess. Anyway, if you decide you'd like to hear some more, just let me know and I'll set you up with a copy of the Califone comp. I think I still have a copy on hand. Or actually, there's a few people around here that didn't much care for it that you could probably finagle one from - of course, that's not much of an endorsement :)

Nice article I was just reading about it in Paste Magazine http://pastemagazine.com/action/article?article_id=381

[Davey.]

Etoile de Dakar (feat. Youssou N'Dour) - Etoile de Dakar Vol. 1

Manu Chao - Proxima Estacion Esperanza
A client is a huge world music fan and he's slowly feeding me a lot of the stuff he really likes. This was one he gave to me recently to listen to (as was the Youssou N'Dour) and I must say it's fantastic. It's upbeat and accessible, almost reggae, but it can't really be categorized that neatly. A really fun record.
Was just listening to the Youssou N'Dour Set album a couple days ago myself. You may recall that the title track led off that African Music comp I did? I think you got a copy of that. Anyway, it's from later in his career, kind of at the dawn of his becoming well known throughout the world in 1990. Really nice CD with Michael Brook at the production helm. Still backed by his Etoile de Dakar band, except now with Super appended to their name. Also been listening a lot this past week to the incredible Djam Leelii. I've mentioned it a few times before, but it's one of my all time favorites. A timeless acoustic collaboration between Sengalese star Baaba Maal and blind singer/guitarist Mansour Seck. The full title is Djam Leelii: The Adventurers. It was originally recorded in 1982 and released with very limited distribution a couple years later, only to fall into obscurity. I guess the master tapes were even lost for many years. But it surfaced again in 1998 on a very nice sounding CD (even though it credits John Dent at Loud Mastering :)) with a couple bonus tracks from those same '82 sessions and since that time has become one of my favorites. Not just a favorite in guitar music, or African music, or any other limited genre, but an unqualified favorite. Beautiful, sublime and evocative, foreshadowing the wave of acoustic Afro-pop that was to come in the nineties. Masterful acoustic guitar work by Maal and Seck, with some electric credited to Aziz Dieng. One of those albums that I can just listen to over and over and over and.....

I do have an early Orchestra Baobab recording from the Dakar series of about the same timeframe as the one you mention by Youssou. Guess they are somewhat similar. Not very good sound but pretty fun nonetheless. On the other hand, the Djam Leelii is a very good recording. Haven't heard the other one you mentioned but sounds interesting.

[Dusty Chalk]

Electric Skychurch - Sonic Diary
Anybody else listen to this? I liked it when I got it, and it just keeps growing on me. Totally synthetic soundscapes. If anybody's heard anything else from these guys and would like to recommend something, I'd like to know. Or if anyone knows anything that is in a similar vein.I have something by them, but don't even remember what. Sorry, can't be of any help.

PS Does nobody like Nobody?

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000BWVNC.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I...ain't got no baaaaah-deee...

[Troy]

That glockenspeil percussion sound that comes in about 30 seconds from the end is killer. Looks like a fun program. And for only $49 bucks, huh? I'll have to pick one up this week and take a crack after I upgrade to Panther on my home system.

Neal Morse looks like a dork through most of the Transatlantic DVD, but he is certainly a talented musician. He needs to learn how to relax on stage. Everything seems so stilted.

That's a flanged piano. I brung it fwd in the mix between the sax riffs and used it for rhythm. There's still some screwball dissonance I don't like about it, buit I sat down with one of my neighbors today (a piano teacher w/ PhD in music) and he explained the harmonic formulas and how scales work to me, so I should be able to weed out the bad notes. Sounds remearably hi-fi on the big rig in the livingroom. I'll send you a CD when I get a pile of decent songs done, if you want.

You don't need Panther to run it. X.2 is all you need.

Neal Morse. When I've seen him live, he always seems a little uncomfortable.

[chrisnz]

I have something by them, but don't even remember what. Sorry, can't be of any help.

PS Does nobody like Nobody?

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000BWVNC.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I...ain't got no baaaaah-deee...

Hi Dusty, I was asking about this about a month ago. I found a reference to it in a local rags best of 2003. The guy described it as being superior to, but in the same vein as, Four Tet's - Rounds and Manitoba's - Up in flames. Which piqued my interest as I love both of them.

I'm too much of a tightwad to take a punt on some hacks ideas but if one of you guys had it...?

So, you have?

I remain, me.

[nobody]

Never have heard that one. Like Chris, I've read a couple things that have got me interested in it. But, I've laid off the online ordering and haven't seen it around anywhere, so it remains a mystery.

If anybody does pony up for the thing, put me in the camp of those interested in a listen.

[skewiff]

Been kinda busy lately, not much time to post a detailed list...but here are a few things...

Electric Skychurch - Sonic Diary
Anybody else listen to this? I liked it when I got it, and it just keeps growing on me. Totally synthetic soundscapes. If anybody's heard anything else from these guys and would like to recommend something, I'd like to know. Or if anyone knows anything that is in a similar vein.

Tricky: Maxinquaye - Great debut. I still think the rest of his catalog is underrated, but this one is top notch.

Massive Attack: Blue Lines - I go back to this one a ton. Just always seems to sound right.

Some jazz stuff...

Thelonious Monk: Genius of Modern Music - Why yes he is!

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool - Until his fusion period, Miles did no wrong in my book. I do like In a Silent Way though. Spotty after that to me.

Some 80s stuff
The Alarm: Declaration and their self-titled EP - Finally saw the Bands Reunited on these guys and it made me grab a listen.

And, one more thing I wanna mention before I stop. <b>Soul Galore</b> comps. I've got 5 volumes of these and can't for the life of me remember who did them. If anyone knows, please tell me. These are just great. You get lesser known gemms and mid level hits from some great artists. I love every volume.

Tons more, but no time to keep typing so you get what comes to my mind first.

It was I that made the Soul Galore comps, I'm so pleased that you are still enjoying them. I play them pretty often too. Thanks for the kind words.
From a soon to be icy/snowy Chelsea MI
Tony

[BarryL]

That's a flanged piano. I brung it fwd in the mix between the sax riffs and used it for rhythm. There's still some screwball dissonance I don't like about it, buit I sat down with one of my neighbors today (a piano teacher w/ PhD in music) and he explained the harmonic formulas and how scales work to me, so I should be able to weed out the bad notes. Sounds remearably hi-fi on the big rig in the livingroom. I'll send you a CD when I get a pile of decent songs done, if you want.

You don't need Panther to run it. X.2 is all you need.

Neal Morse. When I've seen him live, he always seems a little uncomfortable.


My Network guy needed to upgrade me to Panther in the office to get my iMac to work properly with the Airport network, so I decided to install it at home as well, but thanks for letting my know it isn't needed. I tried to pick up iLife at the closest seller to me and they were sold out except for the Family edition. Can I install Garageband on more than one computer (work and office)? Or do I need the Family edition to do that? Don't see why I wouldn't be able to do the former. It'll save me $40 bucks.

Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing the disk when you have enough stuff. As to whether it makes you a musician, the answer is easily: no. It does, however, make you a music composer! Any monkey can be a musician...but to be a composer takes true talent! ;-)

I've been planning to put some recording software on my computer for years now, but I know I won't have the right amount of time to make good use of it. Garageband sounds like the perfect low-cost introduction to the technology, and it looks like it can be a barrel of fun. Sucks you in just like video games, huh?

[Jim Clark]

Electric Skychurch - Sonic Diary
Anybody else listen to this?

You and me buddy. I've probably already mentioned that it took me a while to appreciate this album. First listen fell flat but that was in the beautiful minivan. This needs a better system to get to the point where the music envelopes you.

Might need to look into "Nobody" the album.

jc

[Davey.]

You and me buddy. I've probably already mentioned that it took me a while to appreciate this album. First listen fell flat but that was in the beautiful minivan. This needs a better system to get to the point where the music envelopes you.

Might need to look into "Nobody" the album.

jc
Yeah, that Nobody album does sound cool. Hopefully someone will report.

Hey Jim, speaking of first listens falling flat and all that, have you revisited the Moonbabies much? And if so, has your opinion changed much? The reason I ask is that I just read a review yesterday over at DOA that was very positive. I'll just copy the last paragraph below and the link and if you want you can go there to read it. Guess I'll have to check it out myself one of these days since that's the only opinion that really matters, eh? :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moonbabies proves that the best European pop music today is coming from Sweden (and Hives be damned). The Orange Billboard sounds so good, plays so fluidly, feels so tight that it has a timeless quality, and there is not a single weak track on this album. In short, the duo of Ola and Carina has crafted a stellar pop album worthy of worldwide recognition.

http://www.adequacy.net/reviews/m/moonbabies.shtml#4

[Troy]

Can I install Garageband on more than one computer (work and office)? Or do I need the Family edition to do that? Don't see why I wouldn't be able to do the former. It'll save me $40 bucks.

Doesn't sound like a problem at all. Keep in mind that the computer has to be able to play DVD in order to install this. For some reason, the install disc is a DVD. There are 500 MB of premade songs on there I haven't even begun to look at yet.


Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing the disk when you have enough stuff. As to whether it makes you a musician, the answer is easily: no. It does, however, make you a music composer! Any monkey can be a musician...but to be a composer takes true talent! ;-)

It's a strange combination of things. A composer doesn't make the sound, just the notes on paper. I'm not making notes on paper. I'm making what are essentially punch cards for each instrument, so I guess that's the same kinda thing. But I'm making ther sound and arrangement. At some point I will be plugging a keyboard into it (if I can ever find the cheap one Apple is selling) and playing simple chords into the system. Am I a monkey (musician) then?

The whole thing has skewed the meaning of musician.


I've been planning to put some recording software on my computer for years now, but I know I won't have the right amount of time to make good use of it. Garageband sounds like the perfect low-cost introduction to the technology, and it looks like it can be a barrel of fun. Sucks you in just like video games, huh?

Better and worse than video games. Worse because it is actually MORE addicting than video games. I know, I have that addiction too! Better because you are creating. You have something to keep for your time and efforts. Having a finished song is much more gratifying than a high score.

[Dusty Chalk]

No, I don't have Nobody. Sorry guys. But I have seen it in a local store. If I remember which one, I'll pick it up and report back.

[Jim Clark]

Hey Jim, speaking of first listens falling flat and all that, have you revisited the Moonbabies much? And if so, has your opinion changed much? The reason I ask is that I just read a review yesterday over at DOA that was very positive. I'll just copy the last paragraph below and the link and if you want you can go there to read it. Guess I'll have to check it out myself one of these days since that's the only opinion that really matters, eh? :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moonbabies proves that the best European pop music today is coming from Sweden (and Hives be damned). The Orange Billboard sounds so good, plays so fluidly, feels so tight that it has a timeless quality, and there is not a single weak track on this album. In short, the duo of Ola and Carina has crafted a stellar pop album worthy of worldwide recognition.

http://www.adequacy.net/reviews/m/moonbabies.shtml#4

Wow, that is quite the glowing review isn't it? Well, yes I have listened a couple of additional times and can vouch for the fact that there are some perfectly gorgeous tunes on the disc. At this point however, if it were me I'd reverse the author's preference on these two discs. After reading the review I'd guess that anyone who is at all familiar with my own peculiar tastes would be able to guess that there are parts of this I'm not going to fall in love with, at least not at first. I guess the author summed it up fairly well when he noted: "While many bands are playing modern indie-pop with a knowing debt to the stalwarts - Beatles, Beach Boys, etc. - Moonbabies effortlessly mix their influences, combining bits of that timeless pop with Sonic Youth-esque rock, keyboard-driven pop, and more modern indie rock." What I seem to hear so far is more of the Beatles and the Beach Boys and a bit less of the Sonic Youth and keyboard driven pop this time around. There are passages in the album that definetly evoke a 60's type of feel for me and I'll bet cash that this is the reason for my initial reluctance to embrace it with open arms.

I know others have a good chance of reacting differently which is why I have taken steps to let them form their own opinion. And who knows, it may grow on me! I was going to listen to Yello as I shoveled later today but perhaps I need the Moonbabies to listen to instead.

Regards,
jc

[BarryL]

Doesn't sound like a problem at all. Keep in mind that the computer has to be able to play DVD in order to install this. For some reason, the install disc is a DVD. There are 500 MB of premade songs on there I haven't even begun to look at yet.

.


DVD? That means another upgrade to my G4 at home. And no way am I putting that thing on my work computer. It would be too distracting. I was hoping to play on the weekend, but if requires DVD, it'll have to wait until I can get one. I think I'll do an accellerator board at the same time.

Those Apple guys certainly know how to make you keep upgrading!!

[Troy]

DVD? That means another upgrade to my G4 at home. And no way am I putting that thing on my work computer. It would be too distracting. I was hoping to play on the weekend, but if requires DVD, it'll have to wait until I can get one. I think I'll do an accellerator board at the same time.

Those Apple guys certainly know how to make you keep upgrading!!

I thought all G4's had DVD capability?

Yes, Jobs knows his job alright.

[BarryL]

I thought all G4's had DVD capability?

Yes, Jobs knows his job alright.

While I would consider myself ignorant about most things related to computers and technology, I'm an early adaptor for some things. I was early out of the blocks buying my G4 when they were a roaring 400mhz. That was just before they lowered them to 350 to keep up with demand. I don't think DVD burners were even on the market then.

Then I upgraded to a new iMac with a Superdrive, and about three months later they introduced a 17" version, which I would have much preferred. Oh well. Another year or two with this one and I'll buy the latest new product of the month and then be disappointed because I didn't wait one more month!

I'm off to get my Pioneer 106 DVD burner right now, and will try to install it tonight. If all goes well, I'll get to play in the basement on the weekend (maybe).

[chrisnz]

That's a flanged piano. I brung it fwd in the mix between the sax riffs and used it for rhythm. There's still some screwball dissonance I don't like about it, buit I sat down with one of my neighbors today (a piano teacher w/ PhD in music) and he explained the harmonic formulas and how scales work to me, so I should be able to weed out the bad notes. Sounds remearably hi-fi on the big rig in the livingroom. I'll send you a CD when I get a pile of decent songs done, if you want.

You don't need Panther to run it. X.2 is all you need.

Neal Morse. When I've seen him live, he always seems a little uncomfortable.

Hi Troy, I had a listen (5MB!!, dump the bitrate down to 128 and have some mercy on those of us on dialup). The sound quality is great isn't it. I think that's probably got something to do with the fact that the mix isn't "busy" so you've escaped having multiple instruments fighting for the same space. I really like the drums, not so much the heartbeat intro, but when you start playing with the little fills and crash cymbals that seems tasty. Personally I'm not so into the abrupt changes (like when the sax comes in) for me there should be some kind of build to the change. Maybe try reversing a crash cymbal sound so there's a rising whoosh before the Paaaarp? Lots of nice instrument voices too. You are such a prog boy ;-)

Does the program come with a synth instrument that you can actually program the patch yourself?

I haven't got around to building a homepage where I could post one of my own tunes, mebbe I'll get around to mailing one your way.

Keep up the good work, Chris.

[dld]

Failed Christian[/B] and Man That I've Become are listenable.

jc

Hey, ya gotta include High On A Hlltop as a keeper too. One of his best. And to me, Failed Christian justified the purchase price. I'd throw in two or three others that Mr. Mind just can't come up with names for right now along with The Man That I've Become.

[Troy]

Hi Troy, I had a listen (5MB!!, dump the bitrate down to 128 and have some mercy on those of us on dialup). The sound quality is great isn't it.

Sorry 'bout that. Fidelity geek that I am, I just can't bring myself to step on it any more than that. Apple is making a big deal about how this is CD quality etc. It really does sound great on a good stereo.


I think that's probably got something to do with the fact that the mix isn't "busy" so you've escaped having multiple instruments fighting for the same space. I really like the drums, not so much the heartbeat intro, but when you start playing with the little fills and crash cymbals that seems tasty. Personally I'm not so into the abrupt changes (like when the sax comes in) for me there should be some kind of build to the change. Maybe try reversing a crash cymbal sound so there's a rising whoosh before the Paaaarp? Lots of nice instrument voices too.

Thanks for the compliments! Yeah, just because you can lay 64 tracks doesn't mean that you should, eh? 5 at any one time is plenty. I'll consider your suggestion, but I'm a bigger fan of abrupt change ups than you . . . Remember that on about the 3rd listen you are anticipating (and hopefully looking forward to!) it. I think that's one o' them prog things.


You are such a prog boy ;-)

Wait til you hear what the next one I've been working on sounds like!


Does the program come with a synth instrument that you can actually program the patch yourself?

Not sure I understand your terminology. What does "patch" mean?

There are 8 different synthesizers to work with (named things like analog basic, digital stepper, analog pad etc.) and each one has about 15 different factory sound settings and each of those settings can be tweaked manually a million different ways which you can then save.

Plus there are settings for about 2 dozen things like echo, reverb, flange, phased, hi pass, gateing, overdrive and many more that can be attributed to any instrument.

Not to mention the 1000's of possible combinations of different attributes to the overall soundstage . . .

It's quite overwhelming.


I haven't got around to building a homepage where I could post one of my own tunes, mebbe I'll get around to mailing one your way.

I'd LOVE to hear what you're doing. You or anybody else.


Keep up the good work, Chris.

Thanks mang!

[nobody]

I would imagine someone's already asked, but is there anything similar to the GarageBand thing for Windows? I've always used Apple until the last computer I bought, and just had to make the switch because of price. I think I may be sorry now.

[Troy]

I would imagine someone's already asked, but is there anything similar to the GarageBand thing for Windows? I've always used Apple until the last computer I bought, and just had to make the switch because of price. I think I may be sorry now.

Try ACID. It sounds similar, but less flexable.

[chrisnz]

Try ACID. It sounds similar, but less flexable.
Oooof! That sounds like Apple marketing flufffff. Acid's been around for about a decade and Garageband is a straight out copy. There's one cool thing about it that Acid doesn't have and that's the loop format that holds both MIDI, audio and instrument patch information.

From a previous question about synths Troy. It does sound like Gband does have it's own incorporated synths that you can program. A patch is just a synth sound, ie. the sum of all the control settings.