What are you listening to?

[Syt]

Lorna Shore have had a rough time. Their old vocalist left in 2018. They got a new one, recorded an album, and then it turned out he was a sexually abusive POS, so they kicked him out.

The found with Will Ramos a new singer for their tour, he stayed on and they put out a new EP last year. The first single from it was "To the Hellfire", and ... well, best to listen for yourself:

https://youtu.be/qyYmS_iBcy4

The guy's vocals are incredible and he also put out a video where he does the vocals in a single take.

I recommend the video if you like your metal dark and heavy, don't need intelligible lyrics, love things to be maybe "a bit" overproduced, and need your breakdowns to be HEAVY.

[mongers]

New excellent video by Indian metal band Bloodywood, Aaj (Today).

Great energy, and a the lyrics a great motivational pick-me-up. 

https://youtu.be/kgvH6tX4Ej0

They previously released the Gaddaar, another (angrier) banger that criticized the corrupt and divisive politics in India:

https://youtu.be/7iKjSCTxke8

Can't wait for their album to come out next month. They're in Vienna in March, and I would very much love to see them live, Corona permitting. 

They're often labeled "folk" metal because they incorporate Indian instruments and stylistic elements, but they sounds too "modern" to be "truly" folk metal IMHO. Wiki lists them as folk and nu metal, and sure, they have a melodic vocalist who does the Hindi lyrics, and a more rap-ish singer who does the English lyrics, I feel it does them a disservice considering how maligned the genre generally is.

Syt, thanks for that, fascinating; I'll have to check them out.

[Syt]

Listening to some recommendation from Spotify, and Gavin Bryars' sombre Double Bass Concerto "Farewell to St. Petersburg" from 2002 pops up. Good music for having on in the background while focusing on something.

But the choir starting here: https://youtu.be/Q1yemLJWSU8?t=615 kinda pulled me out of it. As a Star Wars nerd this reminded me a lot of the slow, low choirs you would hear in some of the the Star Wars soundtracks. If this played as music while exploring a Sith Temple I wouldn't bat an eye.

[Syt]

New song from Red Hot Chili Peppers. I liked it.

https://youtu.be/OS8taasZl8k

But what the heck has happened to Anthony Kiedis' hair? 

[Iormlund]

Listening to some loud, shitty Balkan music from my neighbors.

I really can't wait for my new flat to be finished. Just a few more months ...

[Syt]

It's true that the conventional streaming services make a mess of indexing Western concert music.  That said, with experience it's usually not hard to find what you are looking for (if you know what you are looking for).  the service looks intriguing, but it would mean carrying another full price streaming app.  I don't think the economics work unless that's the only music you listen to.

Late reply, but I agree. My main issue is discoverability on "normal" streaming services. I did sign up for an Idagio account but didn't sub. That way I can browse their site, get their recommendations, and then listen to them on Spotify.

[Syt]

Eskimo Callboy have released a new video and it returns to the 80s stylings of their Hypa Hypa clip: https://youtu.be/OnzkhQsmSag

I don't think it's quite as catchy as some of their other recent songs (Hypa Hypa, We got the moves, Love/Hate), but I did get somewhat extracted by the visuals. 

I somehow missed it, but they're apparently throwing their hat into the ring to represent Germany at the European Song Contest with this song (which is why it's exactly 3 minutes). 

Well, the German jury didn't permit them to enter. Main complaint seems to be "not fit for radio", and I guess the band name doesn't help (the band is actually looking to change it, what with Eskimo being a problematic term these days that's causing them trouble when trying to play international gigs; they keep the discussion on their YouTube channel quite levelheaded and respectful; they're also removed some of their older songs when their lyrics were less PC and, as they say, they wouldn't write those songs anymore today).

[Tamas]

To fit imminent world events, a collection of Russian post-punk/doomer tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbqXlWQpwBc&t=1450s

[Savonarola]

One of the most sampled beat is The Amen Break from The Winston's "Amen Brother."  I learned today that "Amen Brother" is an instrumental version of the gospel song "Amen" most famously done by The Impressions.  I thought that was kind of funny as I immediately associate the beat with NWA's "Straight Outta Compton".

[Syt]

Listening to some old school Neue Deutsche Welle, when it was yet a more underground and experimental indie scene rather than the a catch all term for popular German language music it became a few years later and led to many originators turning their backs on the genre.

A song I was not familiar with was Foyer des Arts with Wissenswertes über Erlangen: https://youtu.be/IkVM1Jt55kQ

It's a weird piece with basically a tour guide pointing out spots in Erlangen and later segueing into "tourists" talking about other nice places in Germany (all small to midsized towns) and mentality of their people (which sounds weird, but I've heard people have those discussions). I was generally confused by the song, then looked up the band and saw: Oh, it's Max Goldt. That tracks.

He's a satirical writer who I came to love in the 90s when he was writing for the monthly magazine Titanic. As Wikipedia explains: "Max Goldt's writing style is characterised by a fresh, frequently ironic perspective on familiar aspects of everyday life; seemingly tangential changes of topic, triggered by unexpected (yet arguably logical) associations; creative use of language, often combined with a critique of linguistic conventions in journalese and everyday language; frequent references to pop culture; ambiguity as to whether or not the narrator is relating the first-hand experience, opinions and sentiments of the author."

[Savonarola]

The Bengali Bauls - At Big Pink (1969)

Yes, that Big Pink.  The Bengali Bauls visited The Band in 1969; according to Robbie Roberston's autobiography "Testimony" they tried to jam, but it was just too weird for The Band just watched as The Bengali Bauls recorded an album.  From what I've read (though I make absolutely no claim to be an expert at being an expert in Indian music) this is akin to Indian folk music; while Ravi Shankar is more like Indian classical music.  This is pretty weird; with songs like "I Alone Have Caught a Fish" and "With What Flower Shall I Worship Your Feet?" still it's not bad.  If you can put up with sitar music you might like this.

The Bengali Bauls got a chance to meet Bob Dylan when they were staying in upstate New York.  They're on the cover of John Wesley Harding with Bob:



One of the more amusing anecdotes from "Testimony" is that Allen Ginsburg showed up at Big Pink to jam with The Band with some air organ he had.  Robertson told him that The Bengali Bauls really wanted to see him again; so he immediately left and The Band was able to compose in peace.

While Big Pink did have a recording studio (both this and The Basement Tapes were recorded there); Music From Big Pink was recorded in Manhattan in A&R studios.

[Savonarola]

The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World (1969)

(They were named after the hairstyle; before Austin Powers (Yeah Baby!) Americans were mostly blissfully unaware of the British definition of "Shag.")

Their father (or maybe their grandmother, the accounts vary) was told by a palm reader (or had a premonition) that his daughters would become a successful pop group; so he pulled them out of school and made them practice every day.  They played at a nursing home and their town's community center and then he struck a deal with a shady record company to record an album (who only pressed 100 of the promised 1000 albums and then fled).  The results are one of a kind.  The songs have greeting card style lyrics, the singing is tuneless, the instruments sound cheap, the drummer seems to be playing another song than the rest of the band and the songs defy any sort of compositional logic.  It's not good, but it is fascinating; sort of like the musical equivalent of a primitive painter.

The group soldiered on until their father's death in 1975, then broke up and never performed again.  As you probably guessed (if you don't already know their story) Frank Zappa got his hands on one of their albums and said it was one of his favorites which led to their rediscovery (among the sort of people who would listen to Frank Zappa's favorite albums.)  The group allegedly hated the album and could not understand there was a resurgence.

[Josquius]

I bought my first record.
A pre order of British Sea Powers new album.
I don't have a record player.
I'm not sure what to do with it..

[Admiral Yi]

 

Go buy a album display cabinet so all your hipster friends can admire your collection.

[Savonarola]

Toots and the Maytals - Sweet and Dandy

Toots is still finding his way here; some of the tracks are a little rough and even the hits (Sweet and Dandy, Pressure Drop) aren't as polished as they would be in a few years.  Still its a fun album and there's a couple nice surprises along the way.