noddin's 2013: Sex, Redemption and the want of

[noddin0ff]

It's that time of year again. Thanks to RR, the year end compilation has become my own personal tradition. Even though there's still one more album I have on order that I think I'm going to like, I declare 2013 done (the missing album is Love's Crushing Diamond by Mutual Benefit--anyone hear this one?).

Link below on mediafire. I haven't used MF in a while, but I tested it and seemed to work just fine. If you have problems PM me. Happy to oblige. Would love to receive PMs. It's FLAC. At 73 minutes it's CD burnable for those that still cling to that sort of thing. ;-) If you're a technophobe, get over it and ask for help--or a hard copy. 9 of 14 tracks are groups that are new to me. That's pretty cool. God save the internet.

I know… My album titles suck. I just type whatever pops into my head when I'm done. It works for me. However and frankly, I think it resonates well with the tunes. At some base level there's not that much separating the two pursuits. Second chances, missteps, searching for ones relation to the greater meaning, missing ones connection to the lesser meanings… enjoy.

If you listen, you're on the hook to come back and comment.

If you want to be surprised, stop here and click that --> (link (http://https://www.mediafire.com/?4oprnqpf9xq3962))


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1. Oh My Lord | Steve Mason | Monkey Minds in the Devil's Time.
Steve Mason=Beta Band. Oh My Lord = The Beta Band and Wham (not really). I bought based on cover art. Album is pleasant enough. Wobbly.

2. Even When the Water's Cold | !!! | Thr!!!Er. The opening lines hooked me. Fun album.

3. Have to Pretend | The Cave Singers | Naomi. Love it when a band sounding so lo-fi indie hits a song out of the ballpark. failure and hope. "If God is there, we are alone/*mumble something*/See man/the hopeless have to pretend/yeah right/Set 'em up; I'll knock them down again"

4. Bird Song | The Men | New Moon. Decent album. Overly noisy with the grunge but has heart. Apparently recorded in a cabin in the Catskills thus explaining the Catskills feel. Probably why I like it.

5. The Quotidian Beasts | Phosphorescent | Muchacho. Song blisters with demons. Album has much more tenderness.

6. What Are They Doing in Heaven Today? | Mogwai | Les Revenants. From soundtrack for French TV program about loved ones returning from the dead. Charming track.

7. Moses | Califone | Stitches. Thanks to RR for introducing me to Califone. Just keeps growing and growing on me.

8. Spring | Bill Callahan | Dream River. Not one to waste words. "all I wanna do/ is make love to you/ in the fertile dirt/with a careless mind" He means it and there's a whole song to back it up.

9. Holy Ghost | Low | The Invisible Way. Aching. "…feeds my passion for transcendence" Amen.

10. Humiliation | The National | Trouble Will Find Me. I can never figure out what they're singing about, but they do it well. Title helps in this case.

11. Higgs Boson Blues | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Push the Sky. Cave says writing inspired by "Googling curiosities". Result = a jaw-dropping ramble of a song. Perhaps psychotic.

12. Take the Night Off | Laura Marling | Once I was an Eagle. There's a touch of Pink Floyd's Fearless inside. I like this track because it's fearless and flowing.

13. 130-09 | Secret Rhythms 5 | Brunt Friedman & Jaki Leibezeit. Found this somewhere. Web says the drummer is 74. Perfect little groove.

14. In the Green Wild | Julia Holter | Loud City Song. Wonderful bit of oddness. "There’s a flavor to the sound of walking no one ever noticed before"

15. Open the door | The Men | New Moon. Filling up the time with another charmer.

16. The Sing | Bill Callahan | Dream River. Metaphors abound. Beer. Thank you.

[Davey]

...the missing album is Love's Crushing Diamond by Mutual Benefit--anyone hear this one?).

Yea, that Mutual Benefit is a nice one, talked about it some via a hijack post in one of Swish's video threads ... http://forums.audioreview.com/rave-recordings/havent-seen-post-waxahatchee-either-39762.html#post398242 ... listened a bunch since then and it is very endearing. Probably be labeled an EP by modern release standards, but perfect length for an independent bandcamp type release.

Looks like a good comp from what I know, and a bunch I don't know. Thanks.

BTW, just to give you a heads up in case Finch stops by, while Bill Callahan normally gets by without the 'g', I didn't notice any obvious apostrophe abuse. Keep up the good work.

[noddin0ff]

'g' ?

[Davey]

'g' ?


16. The Sing | Bill Callaghan | Dream River. Metaphors abound. Beer. Thank you.

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[noddin0ff]

Heh. 2x sloppy. Shame on me.

Glad you pointed out the Mutual Benefit link. I'd read and forgotten but then was reading Paste reviews... Looking forward to listening when it arrives.

[Davey]

Looking forward to listening when it arrives.

Yea, be interesting to hear your thoughts after a few spins.

I take it you're not very big on the early 90s dream pop sound? 2013 seems to be the year of shoegazer reunions, with pretty nice records from My Bloody Valentine, and Mazzy Star, and Medicine, maybe others too. Still absorbing it all myself.

Been listening some to the new Medicine and liking it a lot, and been going back to those first two from the early 90s. AMG has a really nice review of the new one ...

To their credit, the trio decided not to allow the sonic advances that occurred after they split to worm their way into the mix -- no electronic, no laptop squiggles, no dubstep -- in other words, there's precious little to mark this as an album made in 2013. Instead, it sounds like it should have been the follow-up to Buried Life (http://www.allmusic.com/album/buried-life-mw0000104051). The songs are drop-dead gorgeous, the waves of noise and sound are all-encompassing but arranged perfectly, and there is enough joyous craft and blown-out intensity in the sound to keep it from being just an empty nostalgia trip.

... Also had my eye on the Medicine deluxe remasters of those first two from last year with all the bonus tracks. Gotta find out how much they messed with the sound first, though.

Still haven't spent much time with the new Mazzy Star, but know I will in the coming months. Got She Hangs Brightly playing right now on my off-Friday, just hanging around playing some music, never get tired of this one, pretty nice sound and production too, always sounds good.

And looking at concert promos around the area last month, looks really crazy, like a time machine. Television wound through, followed by Mazzy Star, and Medicine with The Telescopes, and Wire was in there too :)
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Oh sorry, I have a tendency to hijack threads with my own ramblings, probably not cool. Should start my own, but they usually don't get any replies, so then I go back to the hijack. I'll stop now.

[Jim Clark]

I didn't notice any obvious apostrophe abuse. Keep up the good work.

*sigh*

[noddin0ff]

I take it you're not very big on the early 90s dream pop sound? 2013 seems to be the year of shoegazer reunions, with pretty nice records from My Bloody Valentine, and Mazzy Star, and Medicine, maybe others too. Still absorbing it all myself.

Yeah. I was wondering to myself last week why some of these don't resonate with me. I look at lists of related artists and I pretty much wasn't aware of any of them. The Cure is about as close as i got. Probably just the influence of geography and who I hung around with--and what was in stock at the local used store.

I've got the MBV album and listened a few times. To me the music just doesn't go anywhere satisfying. Wall of dense sound and mood, but no arc or catharsis or resolution or sense of motion...and it's just to dense for me to mindlessly bliss out to it, with all the wobbly off chords. Shoegaze is apt. The various parts are all good and I can peg them in other contexts. I think its a style of music that one enjoys more, the more familiar and intimate you are with it. Put in the time to listen and let it seep in and it rewards. 10 years from now I'll probably appreciated it more.

[jonnyhambone]

Nice playlist. I've meant to pick up a few of those but haven't yet (esp. Laura Marling, The National, and Mutual Benefit). I'll try to d/l now that I've got a few days off.
Most of my music's on vinyl so a MediaFire thing doesn't work but I've got a good list of my fave 2013 albums up with songs and witty banter if you care to check it out.
-->. pftjschute (http://jonhamilton.blogspot.com)

[Davey]

... I've got a good list of my fave 2013 albums up with songs and witty banter if you care to check it out

Nice job, not sure I can hear Prince coming through yet in Hiss Golden Messenger, but maybe that's just me :)