Fire Doesn't Grow On Trees

 

Half a year is over and I still ask myself where the time went and I look back to the records I purchased this year. One of those are the latest release by Brian Jonestown Massacre, a band formed in the early 90's by Anton Newcombe in San Francisco and during the last decades they made their unique kind of neo-psychedelica mixed with British shoegaze sound. They were always amazing but their new album hit me in a way that I didn't expected. A sound between late 70's psychedelic, early Spacemen 3 and Spiitualized. An album I got a few days ago and it was on heavy rotation at my place. I am not sure if it will reach a place in my years end list but now it only sounds great to me.

It'll Just Be Fine

 

Cologne based label Kompakt re-released Wevel's debut from 2015 aside of their new EP. Wevel are a project of Harm Coolen and Merijn Scholte Albers two Amsterdam based DJ's and producers. This both young musicians created a warm and smooth sound with short excursions into jazzy moods. It seems like this could be the sound for relaxed summer evenings with a glass of vine. 

Monday's Long Song

 

In 1989 The Cure released their eighth and last great album Disintegration. They were a band that I loved from their beginnings and I am lucky to see them live a several times during the last decades. With this album they convinced me once again while they returned to a dark and gloomy aesthetic and good guitars. During the weekend I ordered a ticket for their show in October and thought it will be correct to feature them again at this place.

The Cure - Pictures Of You

One year later they surprised me with a remix album and a superb dubby remix of this song

The Cure - Pictures Of You (Extended Dub Mix)

Echoes

 

Back after a few days of relaxing with a couple of friends on a camping ground closer to my home. It was great fun doing nothing than having a good time with good conversations and leaving all the worries and what drags you down behind. Rival Consoles is the stage name of London based producer Ryan Lee West that gave us four years ago Persona an album that was played at my home very often when it was released. Flickering synthesizer sounds are the trademark and something between ambient and balearic where you can drift away. This song seems to be the first release of his new album that will be released during this year.

Time For A Break

 

A massive heatwave arrived from Spain and me and a couple of friends made a short-time decision for a break and go for camping close to a small lake on the Swabian Alb. The Style Council and Café Bleu made the soundtrack for the summer in 1984. Still an album full of fantastic songs.

International Treasure

 

It is more than two years ago when The Utopia Strong appeared the first time on this little corner of the internet when they released their first album. Now they are back with their new album and I it seems like their new one will be on heavy rotation at my place during the next times. The band is still ruled by former world snooker champion Steve Davis and Kavus Torabi an British-Iranian musician and composer. Their sound is still based on improvisations based on krautrock and progressive rock but now they added more sequencers, guitars, harmonicas and pipes to their own spaced out sound. Sometimes they have a calm but hypnotic The Orb like groove on Persephone Sleeps and on the other side they are able to make a kind of a progressive techno dance track on Castalia. All in all an album that is great in it's variety and easiness.

Monday's Long Song

 

Another release by Rude Audio that grabbed me from the first listen. They released their new EP Big Heat with a couple of new tunes and remixes from this song last week.  Rude Audio describes them as a bunch of South London and Geordie reprobates, with a history of putting on brilliant underground parties, creating critically acclaimed electronic music for top electronic artists and generally stumbling around squalid South East London barn dances. And this is what it sound like. Rich Lane's remix turnes into a dubby, reggae inspired electronic experience. Great stuff.

Swing

Jose Gonzales is a Swedish indie-folk singer and songwriter and featured at this place a couple of years ago. I like him and his songs that have impacts of Carribbean and West-African sounds and always well arranged. So I couldn't imagine that any of this unique songs were good for a remix without losing original basic framework. And now Yugoslavia born house producer and DJ Solomun proved that it is possible. Probably with Half A Minute by Matt Bianco in his mind he layed a house-beat and flamenco percussion under vocal and instruments and created something new. Not another best song of the year but a very good one to start into a sunny Sunday.

 

Goth

 

A few days ago I found In The Flat Field the first album by Bauhaus after ages in my collection and couldn't resist playing it once again. I was not sure if this album works after more than 40 years since it's release and was surprised that there still a lot of song on it that are worth to be played again and not only because of sentimental moods. Their sound was darker as dark and more other bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees but they also included fragments of dub and glam into their sound. Surely it is hard to listen to the whole album in a row but some songs are worth it.

Bauhaus - Double Dare

Bauhaus - St. Vitus Dance

Bauhaus - Stigmata Matyr

Sign O' The Times

It is now 35 years ago when Prince released his masterpiece Sign O' The Times an double album that showed everything he was famous for. An album that still works after all these days. I have to admit that I don't be a big fan of him and his music but he made in these days records that were high above the average of many other artists. Songs that were well tempered and arranged and when I listen to them ages later they still grab me in a way I can't explain. Just a post to remember a great musician.

 

Warmth Of The Sun

 

Martin Jenkins aka Pye Corner Audio announced a new record to be released next month. I know that many people out there are listening to his music with big fun and so am I. He gave me throughout the last years many tracks that have regular plays at my place. Warmth Of The Sun is probably the final result of his collaboration with Andy Bell from Ride and a testimony about new psychedelic adventures in far out spaces. Exactly a distillery of Spacemen 3, Ride and Spiritualized. Looking forward to an album that could reach a high place at my years end list.

Monday's Long Song

 

I always had a huge fondness to Underworld since they released their first songs in the late 80's. During this time the they released many anthems in electronic music and I was seldom disappointed about the releases. Now they are back with a live rework of Juanita, a song from their second album. It still sounds fresh and new. Stomping beats over a synth based floor. Nothing more or less than a great version.