6AM Chorus

London based composer and producer Pascal Gabriel aka Stubbleman used the strange days of lockdown to realize one of the most bizarre ideas in music this year. Over three weeks he went out and made field records of blackbirds, jackdaws and wrens singing at different times of the day and overlaid the result with upright piano and synth. The result is nothing more or less a meditative composition and not the worst way to start into the weekend.

Why Why Why

This song shuffled up the other day and made me think of a band I loved in the early 80's. The Woodentops fascinated me with their unique mixture of acoustic guitars, accordion, marimba, string and trumpet. Giant from 1986 was on heavy rotation at these days and Live Hypnobeat Live is an album I will listen once again during the next weekend. Why Why Why is from an EP released in 2016 featuring various mixes of this song. This one is mixed by Daniel Wainwright and Trevor Fung.

The Woodentops - Why Why Why (A WTF Acid Dub Remix)

Two Thousend

Today's post is number 2000 when I started later in 2012 with this blog. I didn't have a bigger plan when I started than to create my very own thing featuring the music I really like. And I didn't expected that it lasts until now. During the years I formed friendship with other bloggers out there and I am grateful that you enriched my life and opened my ears for music I didn't knew before. Therefore thank you all and your comments keep me going on this way.

Purchased Because Of The Cover

It was in 1979 when I bought the double album Who Is Afraid Of The 80's a compilation of new music filled with a lot of new artists to me. One of the most that impressed me was XTC with Making Plans For Nigel. Colin Moulding and Andy Partridge formed a band in Swindon during the punk evolution but soon turned into  songwriting and overtop arrangements. I really loved this cover reduced their name into a symbol of a face. It is almost 40 years ago since I purchased their third album but it is still worth to listen to their excellent songs that were a few years ahead of the time.

XTC - Life Begins At The Hop
XTC - Making Plans For Nigel
XTC - Scissor Man

Monday's Long Song

1974 Lou Reed released Rock 'n' Roll Animal one of the first albums I bought from my own money. It was before I realized that most of the songs originally were by the Velvet Underground. I was fascinated by Lou Reed's voice and the heavy sound of his band. Compared to the originals he destroys the beauty of his greatest songs by turning them into a cliché of heavy metal mutations. After a few albums by Reed which were always over-ambitious and like suits which were a few numbers too big he finally returned again as the old, animal and degenerated Velvet Underground singer as a real Rock 'n' Roll animal, unpredictable and wild.

Lou Reed - Heroin

For The Soul There Is No Hospital

One of the best song titles this year comes unexpected from Slut, a Southern Germany based band. They got known with their interpretations of songs from Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht around 15 years ago. Now they released a new song from their upcoming new album after seven years of hiatus. It is nothing spectacular and perhaps one more melancholic pop-rock song but the more I listen to it I like it.

To be honest - I like the remix by their old comrade Martin Gretschmann aka Acid Pauli better. He reduces this song to a more relaxed mood.

Care4Life

Yesterday I got the news that Daniel Avery collected 45 various electronic and dance artists to compile a sampler to support NHS Charities Together charity. The charity provides support which is required by NHS stuff, volunteers and patients. You can listen more here. As far as I know NHS suffers for long years by misgovernment and budgetary rigour. I think this is a good idea to support especially when you come from a country that hasn't these problems.