The official Tuesday Week of Tunes thread

[Davey]

What have you guys and gals been listening to the last week or so? Me? Well, not much now that I think about it....

I listened a lot to that Wayne Robbins and the Hellsayers The Lonesome Sea that I've been big on lately. Really nice CD. Only 10 songs and to be honest a couple of them aren't all that distinctive, but man oh man, the rest is solid gold to my Neil Young loving ears. Good stuff.

And that Tindersticks Working for the Man collection that I've been using for my avatar. Most of this music is from the mid 90s so certainly didn't require remastering, and unfortunately isn't served well by it. Love the music but the original recordings were done very well and the remastering just compresses them to crank up the volume to 2004 levels. Ugh. I mainly got it for the bonus stuff anyway, but hate to see when they keep doing this to some of my favorite artists. Just say no to remasters unless they aren't compressed (and good luck finding any that aren't anymore). Fortunately the remasters are from the UK and most of their early catalog is still available in its original un-remastered form (for any of you that might want to try the Tindersticks) or on great sounding vinyl.

Also was putting together my new comp so listened to a lot of stuff on it, and listened to the comp a few times as it came together.

Next.....

[Mr MidFi]

My infatuation with the iPod has not waned. I have been randomly playing a couple thousand different tunes over the past few weeks, all day long at work. I'm really loving this.

As for actual albums played on a real stereo, I have been playing two titles over and over for the past 10 days...

Green Day - American Idiot. OK, I was late to the party on this one. My loss. It's the best album I've heard in a long time. There are at least 6 songs on this disc that I flat-out love, and the rest are pretty good too. If you have dragged your heels over this one like I did, then drag no more.

The Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere. The first time I played it, my initial reaction was "Every generation gets the Billy Thorpe it deserves." On each subsequent listen, I have liked this one more. And "Nowhere Again" is one of my top 10 favorite songs of the past 10 years.

Other listens have included:
Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree
Bowie - Alladin Sane
Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret
REM - Around the Sun

[tentoze]

A lot of tunage this week, but the 3 new things are:

The Frames, Burn The Maps- I've seen a few reviews trashing this, but I say to hell with all that. My ears tell me I like this a lot. The Frames are never going to be pushing boundaries, or riding the razor into uncharted territories, but solid songs performed by a group of dedicated msuicians will always get my attention.

Wovenhand, Consider The Birds- Gawd, I love the smell of fire and brimstone in the morning.

Decemberists, Picaresque- this one isn't officially released until 3/22, and what I have may or may not be the finished playlist. No matter- if you like what has gone before, this one will crawl into your player and not crawl out.

[BarryL]

What have you guys and gals been listening to the last week or so?

Spock's Beard - Octane. It's not bad, it just lacks purpose. Sounds like an excuse for a tour.

Little Atlas - Surface Serene. Bought this as a result of the free comp that came with Progression magazine. This is a pretty good album with catchy songs. Verges on prog but also towards the mainstream with catchy and relatively short tunes. I like it.

[ForeverAutumn]

is ....Trail of Dead's Worlds Apart. I was hooked from the first piano note. The opening track is very gregorian and had me ready for a dark, moody sort of disk but it ended up not being dark at all. I've only spun it twice and I like it far better than Source Tags and Codes. The second track, Will You Smile Again? , is just fantastic. It opens with some very Rush-like guitar and drums. Moves into a more spacey Porcupine Tree kind of sound when the lyrics start and then the drums come forward into a more Green Day punky sound. Three of my favourite bands all rolled up into one song. No wonder I like this!!! The rest of the disk is almost as good with only a few weak moments, IMHO.

Another interesting listen was Constantines, Shine A Light. I didn't think much of this one when I first bought it. But after hiding it away for at least six months, it sounded better to me today. Worthy of giving it a few more spins before making a final decision on it. Thanks to Audiobill for prompting me to revisit this one.

[dean_martin]

I've been listening to a lot of 50s & 60s rock and standards over the past several days and have culled over 50 songs spread over 2 discs to be played as background music at my inlaw's 50th wedding anniversary. I was surprised at how many good songs I had from this era, but the artist I got into the most during this process was Otis Redding. Even though only 2 tracks made it on the discs, I listened to Otis Sings Soul and Live in Europe with new appreciation. His delivery is so convincing even his ad libs and vocal gestures/punctuation on songs he didn't write demonstrate a deep emotional understanding of the song's message. I hadn't experienced chills like that in a long time. I'm adding to my pitiful Otis collection soon. (It doesn't hurt that my wife gets a little weak-kneed when she hears him sing Try a Little Tenderness or I've Been Loving You Too Long.)

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Nothing terribly new to report. Still really enjoying The Arcade Fire Funeral, easily my favorite from last year. Also The Moonbabies The Orange Billboard is still enjoying a prominent position in my CD spinner. And now for the list...

Morrissey, You Are The Quarry
Chappaquiddick Skyline
Notwist, Neon Golden
Camper van Beethoven, Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweethearts
Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
Bruce Coburn, Humans
Neutral Milk Hotel, On Avery Island and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
The Pogues, If I SHould Fall From Grace With God
Shawn Phillips, Second Contribution
Joan Armatrading
Idlewild, 100 Broken Windows
Tom Robinson Band, Power in the Darkness
Eels, Daisies of the Galaxy
Guadalcanal Diary, 2 X 4
Lyle Lovett, Pontiac

and some jazz...

Mike Garson, The Oxnard Sessions, Vol. II
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
Dick Hyman, plays Duke Ellington
MJQ, European Concert

NP: a blast from the past....Martha & the Muffins, Metro Music has just finished up. Gotta go change the record now. Damn vinyl.

[Dave_G]

Hell on the bell.

I listened to:

P.I.L - 9. This is one kick butt album. The bass and guitar interact excellently.

Kansas - Monolith. I love this band, YECH hates them.

P.I.L - That what is Not - another killer P.I.L. release, uh huh watch out.

Jethro Tull - Stormwatch. Excellent.

The Stranglers - The Raven. If you don't have this in your collection then you need to get it.

Yes - Tormato and Drama. Goofy Yes stuff in states of turmoil but I love 'em. Both of these are weird as hell Yesmusic for most Yes fans but they still kick it better than any Spocks Beard album.

I borrowed a kompakt disk from a friend, the lead singer from IQ, a disk called Niadems Ghost. I dunno.

Tiles - Presents of Mind. Magna Carta label. Sounds like all bands on Magna Carta.

Iluvatar - Children. Killer neo prog release.

Flower Kings - Adam and Eve. Many hate, I love this album and this band.

Camel - a nod and a wink. Great mellow, sad, whatever, album.

Several Rick Derringer 2:1 releases.

Mostly the P.I.L stuff has been great for me, these are great records.

I also listened to some Doors and Big Country.

Dave

[DPM]

...so my listening is confined to my iPod and my car. Here's the list.

1) Iron Maiden/Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
2) Man On Fire/The Undefined Design
3) Djam Karet/Burning The Hard City
4) Jethro Tull/.Com
5) Foghat/Energized
6) Porcupine Tree/Coma Divine
7) Blue Oyster Cult/Cultosaurus Erectus
8) Spock's Beard/Octane
9) Black Crowes/By Your Side
10) Nazareth/Expect No Mercy

DM

[newtrix1]

Lori Carson - Stolen Beauty
Andrew Birds Bowl of Fire - Swimming Hour (still great!)
Andrew Bird - Weather Systems (not as good, he should go find the Bowl of Fire again)
China Crisis - Acoustically Yours & Diary of a Hollow Horse
Goodie Mob - Soul Food
a Chesky sampler
Mr. Bungle - California (I think I've given this one it's last spin,
just ain't happenin', off to the scrap heap)
Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company
Massive Attack - 100th Window (so-so)
Twilight Singers - Twilight ("Annie Mae, Annie Mae, seems you've
gone and lost your way"...awesome album!)

[Mike]

Low, Great Destroyer, very Neil Young sounding in places
KD Lang, Hymns From the 49th Parallel
Kings Of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak, I don't understand why this has only just been released in the US when it's been out in the UK for months
Tweaker, 2 am Wake Up Call, solid album featuring Bonnie Prince Billy and Robert Smith of The Cure
Hem, Eveningland
Gomez, Split The Difference
Porcupine Tree, Signify, don't know why but I avoided this band for a long time

And a big chunk of new Britpop, 2005 is looking pretty good so far for new music

Bloc Party, Silent Alarm, really upbeat and great new sounds
Embrace, Out Of Nothing
13 Senses, Invitation
Athlete, Tourist
The Doves, Some Cities, a bit undecided about this so far but early days yet
Feeder, Pushing The Senses

ps Davey and Gav just posted a couple of things for you, so expect them soon

Cheers
Mike

[Gav_2000]

My batch of new CD's hasn't arrived yet so I've been listening to some older ones including;

Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want : This was recommended to me a couple of years ago and has similarities to Matchbox 20 and rocky REM. It's a good one as I can listen to it several times and not start to get bored.
Shelby Lynne - I Am Shelby Lynne : There's a country element to this one but I actually bought it because of the first track which has quite a 60's flavour to it. Once I got over the surprise that the rest of the album is very different I really got into this one.
The Men They Couldn't Hang - Night of 1000 Candles : I've had this one since the 80's when it first came out at a similar time to The Pogues 'Rum, Sodomy ...'. They're both great but for some reason it's this one that I listen to now. 'Iron Masters' is great.
Corrosion of Conformity - America's Volume Dealer - I've not bought that much heavy rock music since Guns n' Roses and Nirvana but occasionally the odd good one comes along. This one and Ain't Life Grand by Slash's Snakepit are 2 of the best ones from the last few years.
Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information : I got this on the strength of a review a couple of year ago and was initially disappointed. Yes, there are some good tracks on there but there's also a few that meander along with little purpose. However it's grown one since and I've really appreciated the last few listens.

[Chrisgnat]

Good stuff this week....,

"H" Septet ~ Horizon's Azur
Twisted big band jazz/prog from Belgium

Circus ~ Movin' On
Nice Swiss band with great flutes, saxes and vibes! Like a spacey Jethro Tull.

Blue Oyster Cult ~ Tyranny & Mutation
The remaster of an essential sci-fi metal masterpiece.

13th Floor Elevators ~ The Psychadelic Sounds of
Sixties psych from Texas. So-so so far.

La Grande Formation ~ Galilee
Unbelievable avant/classical/jazz fropm Belgium. My favorite purchase so far for 05'.

[Pat D]

Respighi, Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, Feste Romane. Dutoit, Montreal Symphony. London 410 145-2.

Sibelius, Symphony No. 2. Barbirolli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Chesdky CD3.

Bach, Brandenburg Concertos 1, 3, and 3. Pinnock, The English Concet. Archiv 410 500-2.

Haydn, Symphonies, vol. 8, Nos. 23, 24, and 61. Ward, Northern Chamber Orchestra. Naxos 8.550723.

Italian Opera Arias. Domingo, Price, Merrill, Caballe, Kraus, Bjoerling, Moffo, Heppner; various conductors and orchestras. BMG RCA Classics 74321-17897-2.

Richard Strauss, Ein Heldenleben. Blomstedt, Staatskapelle Dresden. Denon 33C37-7561.

Baroque Brass. The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. London 425 727-2.

Nancy White, Momnipotent (Songs for Weary Parents). SANCD 1025.

Patricia Barber, Verse.

[audiobill]

Most of my spare time this week has been spent watching, rather than listening. The standout DVD from all I've viewed was "Ray". If you haven't seen this one yet, make the time to see it. Jamie Foxx does a tremendous job, as does the rest of the cast in transforming digital to life. Wow. Even if you don't like Ray Charles' music, watch it for the historical visuals of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.........you will not be disappointed.

Listening pleasures still abounded:

The Legends' Up Against the Legends -- truly infectious and keeps getting better and better. It's too bad that this one didn't see more light of day in 2004.

The Appleseed Cast -- Low Level Vol.1

Ray Charles -- Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music..........uncle Ray did not have any hang-ups about genres or music that was in or out of fashion.......a five-star record.

Lmk what u think of the movie, "Ray", if you happen to see it,
Bill

[Chrisgnat]

Most of my spare time this week has been spent watching, rather than listening. The standout DVD from all I've viewed was "Ray". If you haven't seen this one yet, make the time to see it. Jamie Foxx does a tremendous job, as does the rest of the cast in transforming digital to life. Wow. Even if you don't like Ray Charles' music, watch it for the historical visuals of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.........you will not be disappointed.

Listening pleasures still abounded:

The Legends' Up Against the Legends -- truly infectious and keeps getting better and better. It's too bad that this one didn't see more light of day in 2004.

The Appleseed Cast -- Low Level Vol.1

Ray Charles -- Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music..........uncle Ray did not have any hang-ups about genres or music that was in or out of fashion.......a five-star record.

Lmk what u think of the movie, "Ray", if you happen to see it,
Bill

I was disappointed with Ray.
It had a made-for-TV miniseries feel to it imo.
Stereotypes running rampant right down to the Halle Berry lookalike wife.

[Stone]

Corrosion of Conformity - America's Volume Dealer - I've not bought that much heavy rock music since Guns n' Roses and Nirvana but occasionally the odd good one comes along. This one and Ain't Life Grand by Slash's Snakepit are 2 of the best ones from the last few years.

Interesting. I've never heard this one and have been hesitant to pick it up. I thought Blind was okay, but I think I'm severely biased as I'm a fan of what they did during their hardcore/crossover years. If I see this in the used bin, maybe I'll give it a chance.

[Dusty Chalk]

The Out_Circuit, Burn Your Scripts, Boys -- references Talk Talk on the cover sticker, so had to get it -- surprisingly good post-rock, but ain't no replacement for the real deal. I do hear some Bark Psychosis and God Machine in there (the mellower stuff, not the metaller stuff).

Worm is Green, Automagic -- includes yet another cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart", and it's indietronica, so had to get it -- quite enjoyable as well.

Tori Amos, Beekeeper -- not quite as good as Scarlet's Walk, but she was inspired on that -- a perfectly excellent follow-up, definitely not that "difficult sophomore release".

Explosions in the Sky -- both albums -- was on a GYBE bender, and these are probably both better than Yanqui U.X.O..

Shalabi Effect, Pink Abyss -- more experimental tunings of guitars and finding of found sounds.

Vidna Obmana, Tremor, Spore and Legacy -- sublime alienware -- from rhythmic ambient to ...well... erm... um... ambient ambient.

Klaus Schulze, Mirage -- reissue of this classic ambient masterpiece. A step up in sound quality, but I can still "imagine" improvements.

Lots of 2004 releases in the car -- especially digging The Real Tuesday Weld, I, Lucifer.

co-LOTW's -- those first two. Tori needs to sink in a bit.

[Gav_2000]

Interesting. I've never heard this one and have been hesitant to pick it up. I thought Blind was okay, but I think I'm severely biased as I'm a fan of what they did during their hardcore/crossover years. If I see this in the used bin, maybe I'll give it a chance.

I've only ever heard this album and only got it as 1 of the tracks was on a free CD that came with Classic Rock magazine. It's quite mainstream but has some crunching riffs on it. Like the first few tracks of Nevermind it's one of those albums that really wakes you up.