Best of 2020 mix - Volume 2

 

 

 

The final compilation of the year from me is, of course, a few more favourite songs from what has been probably the worst year in living memory for many of us. I could've done a 3rd volume quite easily, so high was the quality of new albums this year, instead I've compiled a longer mix than usual, running at just over 1 hour and 40 minutes. There were still many artists I could've added to this comp, but then it could have run into several hours! 

 

One particular highlight for me this year has been the high amount of quality releases by artists such as Wire, The Chills, Mark Lanegan, Lee Ranaldo, Guided by Voices and Philip Parfitt to name just a few. All have been recording for several years and still releasing excellent albums, hopefully many more to come from them. 

 

Many of the acts who just missed the cut on my 2 volumes, such as Julian Cope, Alien Mustangs, The Asteroid No.4, Magik Markers, Throwing Muses and Turtle Skull, have been included in other comps over the years, but I highly recommend their latest releases. Manerg is currently compiling his 2nd "Monumental Mix", I'm looking forward to hearing that, maybe some of those artists will feature on that.
 

As usual, info containing origin of each track is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy my final selection from 2020. Lastly,  thanks to everyone who has commented. While I don't respond to all, every comment is appreciated and inspire me to carry on. Here's hoping 2021 is a much better year for you all, it surely can't be as bad as this one! Cheers, and stay safe!

  1. Vintage Cucumber - Caricia (4:24)
  2. Mark Lanegan - Bleed All Over (3:34)
  3. Bill Baird - Option Paralysis (3:47)
  4. The Heliocentrics - Light in the Dark (4:56)
  5. The Left Outsides - A Face in the Crowd (4:51)
  6. Yorkston/Thorne/Khan - Westlin Winds (9:51)
  7. ATA Records - Nuclear Wind II (2:19)
  8. The Chills - You're Immortal (3:09)
  9. FACS - Lifelike (3:07)
10. Guided by Voices - War of the Devils (2:28)
11. Ricardo Richaid - Só na Darkzera (4:35)
12. Wire - Unrepentant (4:56)
13. Dr. Pete Larson and his Cytotoxic Nyatiti Band - Pwonja (3:10)
14. Osees - Gong of Catastrophe (4:41)
15. Paint - Ta Fardah (2:38)
16. Carlton Melton - Dezebelle (5:24)
17. Alec Bathgate - Imposter Syndrome (2:54)
18. Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Urge You (2:20)
19. Isobel Campbell - Ant Life (2:34)
20. Heather Trost - Jump Into the Fire (5:30)
21. Calibro 35 - Death of Storytelling (3:35)
22. Green Seagull - This Wheel (3:59)
23. The NoMen - Girl With the Golden Boots (2:10)
24. Wolfhounds - The Roaches (3:17)
25. Mugstar - Cato (2:37)
26. Figueroa - Back to the Stars (6:06)

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Causa Sui - Rip Tide 2005-2020

 

Bio:
Causa Sui is a Danish instrumental psych-rock / stoner rock band composed of Jakob Skøtt, Jonas Munk, Rasmus Rasmussen and Jess Kahr. Beginning with their eponymous debut album, the band has released twelve albums since 2005. Causa Sui's heavy sound is supplemented by abstract, instrumental and ambient styles akin to electric Miles Davis or Can, particularly on their 'Sessions' series of albums, which feature guest musicians. Other cited influences include Popul Vuh, The Allman Brothers Band, and Tame Impala. Causa Sui's sound has been described as the sound of a giant wave rolling up through the last four decades of rock. Despite seldomly performing live, the band has released two live albums.

 

Not much more I can add to the above (short) bio. What isn't mentioned is that their 1st 2 releases featured a vocalist, Kasper Markus, who I felt was the weakest part of the line-up. For me they took their music to another level after his departure, not having to rely on structuring their songs around his vocals. With their following albums I felt the band improved with every release, their most recent album, this year's Szabodelico, I think is their best yet.

For this collection I have included tracks from all 12 of their studio albums. Favourite albums by them are the aforementioned Szabodelico, and the preceding album Vibraciones Doradas released in 2017. As many of their songs are very long, I decided to forget about any time limits, which is why this collection comes in at almost 2 hours long instead of the usual 80 minutes max. As ever, info containing origin of each track & original year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file.

A shoutout to my pal Moonglum, who I know will enjoy this latest anthology, he was very helpful regarding replacing my old knackered PC a few months back. So this is my sort of Christmas gift to him, but I hope you all enjoy this too. This will be my last post before Christmas so I hope you all manage somehow to have a good time, and stay safe! Cheers.

  1. Red Sun in June (7:02)
  2. Gelassenheit (11:47)
  3. Echo Springs (5:02)
  4. White Sun (9:55)
  5. Dust Meridian (10:07)
  6. Lucien's Beat (4:20)
  7. Where the Streams Collide (6:28)
  8. Rip Tide (5:26)
  9. El Fuego (11:24)
10. May Sun (4:30)
11. Vibratone (5:04)
12. Top of the Hill (4:04)
13. Eutopia (4:57)
14. Santa Sangre (8:15)
15. Seven Hills (7:22)
16. Mondo Buzzo (8:28)

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Manerg's Monumental Mix Four >> Play

What has now become a tradition the past few years, my good pal Manerg picks some of his favourite songs from the past year. We both agreed that while it's been a rather dire year all round, musically it has been very strong, and he found it just as tough as me to pick a few favourites. So, maybe in a few weeks he'll provide us with a second volume! Like the previous "Monumental" mixes, I've found his choices highly enjoyable, with a few artists I'm unfamiliar with which I'll need to check out. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, and as always, stay safe!

 

  1. Sault - Scary Times (3:39)
  2. Pree Tone - Hidden Beauty (4:10)
  3. Homunculus Res - Tetraktys (3:30)
  4. Little Barrie & Malcom Catto - You're Only You (3:20)
  5. Wire - Humming (3:28)
  6. Psychedelic Suns - How Hard It Is to Let Go (2:55)
  7. Deradoorian - It Was Me (4:23)
  8. Ghost Funk Orchestra - Little Bird (4:15)
  9. Osees - If I Had My Way (2:45)
10. Chloë March - To a Place (2:58)
11. King Creosote - Susie Mullen (4:43)
12. Drab City - Working for the Men (2:04)
13. Alex Izenberg - Revolution Girls (3:09)
14. ROY - Stone of Infinite Power (3:03)
15. Vinyl Williams - Magicland (3:38)
16. Caitlin Pasko - Even God (5:28)
17. Lake Ruth - Aging Now (2:37)
18. Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Sweet Freak (4:17)
19. Holy Fawn - Candy (5:42)
20. Green Seagull - Simeon Brown (3:06)
21. Psychic Temple (feat. Chicago Underground Trio) - Lightning (3:41)
22. Joan of Arc - Creature and Being (2:09)
23. Population II - Ce n'est Rêve (7:25)
24. The Innocence Mission - The Brothers Williams Said (3:29)

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Cate Le Bon - Looping Melodies

 

Short bio:
Cate Le Bon (born Cate Timothy on 4 March 1983) is a Welsh musician and producer, now based in Los Angeles. She has released five solo albums, three EPs and a number of singles. Le Bon is singled out by critics for her "beautiful, haunting voice". She described writing and performing music as "important to me, it's just an expression and sometimes it's not necessary to moralise it". Le Bon claimed that "early experiences with a string of pet deaths had a profound lasting effect on me" and informed her initial self-admitted "abnormal fixation with death". She describes her lyric writing as "foraging for words and then everything falls into place".


My interest in Cate Le Bon began after hearing her 2nd album, Cyrk, in 2012. PopMatters.com said about the album: "At its best moments, Cyrk sounds like an edgier version of The Wicker Man soundtrack; the same sense of mystery pervades. Everything about it evokes swinging garden gates, desolate vales, and dusk setting in far too soon."

I'd say my favourite album by her is "Crab Day", released in 2016. Allmusic.com had this to say about it: "For fans of her particular brand of knotty, carnivalesque art-pop, which sounds like an amalgam of Os Mutantes, Nico, Stereolab, Syd Barrett, and Shirley Collins, Crab Day will be a delight." There's certainly elements of the aforementioned artists on the album, but she brings her own uniqueness to it. I've just noticed some reviewer on allmusic also stated "She sounds like Nico if Nico knew how to have fun". Well... not much I can add to that, even though I am a huge fan of Nico's solo work.

As well as her solo releases, Le Bon has collaborated with many artists, most notably with White Fence's Tim Presley, recording 2 albums under the name of DRINKS. Other notable collaborations are EP releases with Bradford Cox and Group Listening. For this collection I concentrated on her solo releases, taking tracks from her 5 albums and 3 EPS, plus her contribution to a Wilco tribute album, the track "Company in My Back". As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection, and stay safe!

  1. It's Not the End (3:19)
  2. Fold the Cloth (5:01)
  3. Wonderful (2:36)
  4. Hwylio Mewn Cyfog (4:23)
  5. Sad Nudes (2:56)
  6. Sisters (4:02)
  7. I'm a Dirty Attic (3:04)
  8. I Just Wanna Be Good (3:00)
  9. Out to Sea (2:36)
10. Baw Waw (2:43)
11. Company in My Back (4:04)
12. Falcon Eyed (2:48)
13. Mirror Me (3:47)
14. The Eiggy Sea (4:36)
15. Home to You (5:25)
16. Crab Day (3:46)
17. Sad Sad Feet (3:33)
18. I Can't Help You (4:00)
19. We Might Revolve (3:46)
20. Here It Comes Again (3:24)
21. Ploughing Out (6:50)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 63

 

  1. The Brian Marshall Orchestra & The Silencers - Wheelspin (3:23)
  2. Propeller - Sugar Pudding (3:56)
  3. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Honey (4:29)
  4. Spirit - What Do I Have (1:56)
  5. Ennio Morricone - Lui Per Lei (3:08)
  6. United States of Existence - Gone (2:17)
  7. Camera - Roehre (4:07)
  8. Festival - Warm Me (2:01)
  9. Spunky Onions - How I Lost My Virginity (3:24)
10. The Twelve Hour Foundation - Watching the Wires (2:40)
11. Godcaster - All the Feral Girls in the Universe (2:54)
12. Pell Mell - Spy vs Spy (2:51)
13. The 5th Dimension - Carpet Man (3:05)
14. Matching Mole - Signed Curtain (3:03)
15. David Nance - This Side of the Moon (2:44)
16. Syd Arthur - Morning's Calling (4:40)
17. Lithics - Hands (3:24)
18. Alco Frisbass - Les Cartes Vivantes (8:08)
19. Mosses - MSR (5:34)
20. Von Südenfed - Chicken Yiamas (2:33)
21. Louis Philippe - Anna Doesn't Live Here Anymore (3:20)
22. Paddy Kingsland - Vespucci (3:16)
23. Walter Wanderley Set - Open Your Arms (Let Me Walk Right In) (2:33)
24. Thee More Shallows - Freshman Thesis (5:01)

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Best of 2020 mix - Volume 1

 

When I posted my Best of 2019 mix - volume 2 late last year, I wrote the fateful words "hopefully things will improve in the next year..." Well... who would've known the shitstorm that was awaiting us..! Who knows what next year will be like... I couldn't even begin to predict, but the events of this year will hang over us for many years to come.

One good thing to take from 2020 has been the continual release of excellent music, which helps take your mind off all the crap happening worldwide. It's certainly kept me (relatively) sane during the darker moments. So, compiling this volume was an enjoyable experience, a further volume will be posted in about a month's time. I'll also be asking my pal Manerg to compile some of his favourites like he has the past 3 years, they've proved to be quite popular here and on mixcloud. As usual, info containing origin of each track is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this first selection from 2020 and as always, stay safe!


  1. Bitmap - Night Games (2:57)
  2. Mt. Mountain - Tassels (4:49)
  3. Ghost Funk Orchestra - Quiet Soul (3:51)
  4. Juniore - Grave (3:19)
  5. Philip Parfitt - All Fucked Up (4:58)
  6. Tara King Th. - Maze (feat. Hera T. Davis) (3:12)
  7. Tunng - Carry You (4:51)
  8. Causa Sui - Gabor's Path (4:26)
  9. The Greek Theatre - Old Jawbone (2:51)
10. Smokescreens - On and On (3:06)
11. Jumble Hole Clough - Five Years of What? (2:28)
12. Lambchop - Shirley (4:34)
13. Mint Field - Aterrizar (3:34)
14. Cornershop - Highly Amplified (4:46)
15. The Explorers Club - Somewhere Else (3:36)
16. Les Passagers - Coucher les Ombres (4:23)
17. Lee Ranaldo & Raül Refree - Humps (5:44)
18. Brigid Dawson and the Mothers Network - Ballet of Apes (6:50)
19. Homunculus Res - La Spia (4:32)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 62

 

 

 

 

  1. The Noveltones - Left Bank 2 (2:26)
  2. P.E. Hewitt Jazz Ensemble - Bada Que Bash (4:08)
  3. Osees - Gong of Catastrophe (4:40)
  4. Mild Orange - Share This Dance (5:49)
  5. Todd Parker and The Witches - Slipping Into the Mirror (4:46)
  6. The Merry-Go-Round - You're a Very Lovely Woman (2:52)
  7. The Earlies - Morning Wonder (5:31)
  8. Beverly Glenn-Copeland - In the Image (4:17)
  9. The Voices - Savant (4:53)
10. Brigitte Fontaine - Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort (2:22)
11. The Left Outsides - Down to the Waterside (3:40)
12. Focus - Sugar Island (3:02)
13. Dr. Pete Larson and his Cytotoxic Nyatiti Band - Koblo (5:37)
14. Magik Markers - Hymn for 2020 (4:11)
15. Dead Meadow - One More Toll Taker (2:51)
16. Ellis/Munk Ensemble - Electric Saloon (8:52)
17. Laurie Johnson - The Professionals (1:52)
18. Stark Reality - Junkman's Song (7:34)

 

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King Creosote - Greetings from Anstruther, Fife

 

 

 

Short bio:

King Creosote is the stagename of Scottish singer-songwriter Kenny Anderson (from Fife, Scotland). After having featured in Scottish bands Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra and Khartoum Heroes, in 1995 Kenny Anderson launched the Fence record label and began recording albums under the name King Creosote. Since then, Anderson has released over forty albums, beginning with "Queen Of Brush County" in 1998. He was also a member of Scottish-Canadian 'supergroup', The Burns Unit.

In recent years, Anderson has teamed up with Domino Records who have co-released some of his albums. He also spent some time on Warner subsidiary, 679, which gave him major label backing for the first time. His increasing frustration with the music industry and how digital recordings are becoming throwaway commodities led him to release his material in small, vinyl only runs which were largely only available at concerts.

 

Complete (?) discography click here.

Well, this is probably the toughest anthology I've compiled so far. Of the 40+ albums released by him, I have 25. Seing him live back in 2005 I had the opportunity to buy many of his earliest releases, unfortunately I didn't have enough money on me so had to be content with the 4 CDs I could afford. Many of those early releases are now more or less impossible to find.

Because of the massive body of work, I found compiling a single disc of him wouldn't be sufficient, so I've extended this to a 2 disc collection, ranging from his first solo release to his most recent album from 2017. It could easily have been 3 or 4 discs. For me, all of his albums have been incredibly good, but my favourites are "12 O'Clock on the Dot", released in 2000, then "Rocket D.I.Y." from 2005 and "From Scotland with Love", released in 2014.

The 2nd disc was originally intended to consist of rarities, collaborations and some of the bands he's been a member of. I wasn't that happy with the end result, but a few of the rarer tracks did end up on disc 2. Maybe at a later date I'll give it another go. Info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I really hope you enjoy this 2 hour plus sojourn into the world of King Creosote, and as always... stay safe!

Disc 1:
  1. Let It Come (4:02)
  2. Happy With Our Lot (2:31)
  3. Klutz (2:10)
  4. Teapot (3:07)
  5. Home in a Sentence (2:58)
  6. Rims (4:53)
  7. An Ode to Falling Overboard (2:35)
  8. Tortoise Regrets Hare (3:35)
  9. Unaware of the Grip (5:37)
10. On the Night of the Bonfire (2:43)
11. Over the Top (1:45)
12. Not One Bit Ashamed (4:53)
13. The Minter Scale (4:26)
14. For One Night Only (4:07)
15. Mantra-Rap (2:30)
16. Sunny-Side Up (3:34)
17. Asylum Clothing (3:57)
18. Love Life (4:13)
19. Doubles Underneath (4:02)
20. Impossible to Resist (4:22)
21. This Flaw That Flaw (4:58)
22. End Underlined (2:52)

Disc 2:
  1. Home Creatures (4:59)
  2. You've No Clue Do You (3:20)
  3. Grace (5:31)
  4. The Soak (3:35)
  5. Moral Tenderhooks (3:05)
  6. Little Heart (3:00)
  7. Pie in the Sky (4:00)
  8. I Believe It's True (4:34)
  9. My Favourite Girl (5:32)
10. Saffy Nool (4:36)
11. Voices (1:52)
12. Promises (3:29)
13. Waterfall (3:45)
14. Goodbye Mrs. Hyde (3:49)
15. The Grime Reaper (1:31)
16. Dial C for Cradle (3:24)
17. Largs (3:50)
18. Give It Up (3:27)
19. Ankle Shackles (11:34)

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21st Century Psychedelia - Volume 2

 

Almost 10 years after the first volume, here's volume 2! All tracks date from 2017 to the present day. I couldn't find any psychedelic artwork to inspire me for this compilation, so I just made a negative of the original cover, and I quite like it! Volume 3 should follow in the next few weeks. As usual, info about origin of each track and year released are tagged in the music files and included in the download file.  Hope you enjoy this new volume, and as ever stay safe.

 

   1. Vuelveteloca - Chepical (4:37)
  2. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Hymn for a Droid (3:27)
  3. Lucille Furs - Paint Euphrosyne Blue (3:16)
  4. The Smoking Trees - Dear Sun (3:01)
  5. Abronia - Half Hail (6:49)
  6. The Young Sinclairs - Truth Can't Be Tried (2:53)
  7. Alien Mustangs - Illusions (5:09)
  8. Mote - Adventure Call (4:14)
  9. Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Underneath You (8:43)
10. Melody Fields - Långsam Död (4:47)
11. Triptides - The Illusion (2:51)
12. Janvy - Northwinding Way (3:13)
13. Mohama Saz - Oro Cíngaro (3:11)
14. Juju - Motherfucker Core (7:28)
15. Pretty Lightning - 123 Eternity (3:54)
16. Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals - Wooden Eyelids (2:30)
17. King Buffalo - Eye of the Storm (9:48)

 

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Long Fin Killie - Kismet 1994-1997

 

 

 

 

Short bio:

Long Fin Killie, from Scotland, released three albums and several EPs on the British avant-rock label Too Pure in the 1990s. The core line-up consisted of Luke Sutherland (vocals, violin, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, saxophone, hammer dulcimer, thumb piano, etc.), Colin Greig (electric and upright bass), David Turner (drums/percussion), and Philip Cameron (electric guitar). In 1997, Turner was replaced by Kenny McEwan on drums.Their name was taken from a family of ornamental freshwater fishes known as killifishes, noted for their interesting drought survival and reproductive habits.

The members were all highly trained, enabling them to create complex, atypical music which usually featured hypnotically-bowed violins/celli, jazz-influenced drumming, and meandering ambient passages. Allmusic cited them as having "staggering levels of musicianly talent". Vocalist Luke Sutherland often delivered his cryptic, highly literate lyrics in an androgynous falsetto voice. Almost always provocative, he took on homophobia and racism, Sutherland's slithery, gentle voice often switching from pulse-racing eroticism to angered politicism on a dime, which was only reflected by the band's lush, repetitive, Krautrock- and post-punk-informed rhythms.

I have no recollection of where/when I first heard Long Fin Killie, most probably it was during a period of the 1990s when I was buying more or less anything released on the Too Pure label. I'd never really heard a band like them before, though I could detect certain influences, and I don't think I've really heard anyone like them since their demise. As the short bio states, they released 3 albums and several EPs, and playing through them the past week or so I didn't come across one track I disliked, which made compiling this anthology even tougher. Eventually I managed to cobble together the tracks which stood out for me the most.

Too Pure were, for me, one of the best UK independent labels of the 90s. Manerg suggested to me a few months back that I should do a compilation of the label. An excellent idea, and something I aim to do before the end of this year. For now, I hope you enjoy this collection of one of their finest bands, and in these still hazardous times stay safe and well! As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file.

 1. Flower Carrier (4:16)
 2. Clinch (4:08)
 3. Chrysler (3:24)
 4. Matador (6:21)
 5. Boy Racer (3:07)
 6. Love Smothers Allergy (5:58)
 7. Rhino (3:41)
 8. Flaccid Tabloid (3:15)
 9. Kismet (4:10)
10. Butterbelly (7:50)
11. Hollywood Gem (3:03)
12. Lipstick (3:57)
13. Coward (5:16)
14. Nation (2:42)
15. Ringer (3:55)
16. Fresher (2:56)
17. Stacked (2:34)
18. Love Life (3:26)
19. The Lamberton Lamplighter (5:07)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 61

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Matt Berry - Moonlight Flit (2:42)
  2. Fugu - Sol y Sombra (2:41)
  3. String Driven Thing - It's a Game (3:34)
  4. Fenne Lily - Solipsism (3:02)
  5. That Petrol Emotion - It's a Good Thing (2:33)
  6. The Dragons - Food for My Soul (4:01)
  7. The Bees - Silver Line (3:35)
  8. Binario - Tarde Demais (5:06)
  9. Turtle Skull - Rabbit (3:59)
10. Om - Waiting of Godot (4:35)
11. Stretch - Why Did You Do It (3:30)
12. Peter Hammill - White Dot (6:21)
13. Chelo Lares - Vox Day (3:04)
14. Moonshake - City Poison (3:57)
15. Aphrodite's Child - Break (2:54)
16. Radio Stars - Macaroni 'n' Mice (2:38)
17. Jeanne-Marie Sens - Méli Mélo (1:59)
18. Clau Aniz - Iuá Uru (4:25)
19. Yves Jarvis - Semula (2:58)
20. Mint Field - Contingencia (3:13)
21. Unified Field Theory - Aptenodytes Patagonicus (3:05)
22. The Teardrop Explodes - The Culture Bunker (5:27)

 

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Drifting in Space

 

 

 

 

I've been busy trying to compile more anthologies but just couldn't find the inspiration to complete any of them. So, I'll have a little break from them and hopefully inspiration will return! 

This compilation was inspired from an old spotify playlist I posted a few years back, dedicated to space rock. Some of the tracks featured here are on that playlist, and I'm sure there'll be a second volume not too far in the future. Not all the bands on this comp would be classed as "space rock", but the songs chosen I feel certainly fit the bill. So here we have bands from the USA, Sweden, Japan, Germany, France, Belgium and the UK. Years covered are from the late 60s to the (almost) present day. I hope you all enjoy this one, and as ever keep safe!

  1. Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Ready to Fly (6:19) [2008]
  2. The Heads - Legavaan Satellite (5:34) [2000]
  3. Guru Guru - Electric Junk (11:01) [1971]
  4. Loop - Afterglow (5:13) [1990]
  5. My Sleeping Karma - Vayu (5:55) [2015]
  6. Pink Floyd - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (5:21) [1968]
  7. Juan Trip' - Robot and Space Chips (4:36) [2006]
  8. Broadcast - Man Is Not a Bird (3:47) [2003]
  9. Far East Family Band - The Cave, Down to the Earth (7:09) [1974]
10. Dungen - Gör det Nu (3:03) [2007]
11. F/i - Hit the Kill Switch, Eugene (6:44) [2003]
12. Brainticket - Watchin' You (4:29) [1972]
13. Sun Dial - Sunstroke / Mind Train (13:24) [1993]

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Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Greasy Chud Spanker

Short bio:

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 formed in 1986 in San Francisco, California, United States, though half of its members are from Iowa. Their albums combine lo-fi noise rock and ambient sounds (referred to as "Feller filler") with tightly constructed rock and pop songs. The band has a small but intensely loyal cult following. Band members are Brian Hageman, Mark Davies, Anne Eickelberg, Hugh Swarts and Jay Paget. Hageman was also a member of the Iowa City based group, Horny Genius.

The band achieved their greatest critical and commercial success in the mid-1990s, when they signed with the indie rock label Matador Records. It was during this time that Thinking Fellers produced their most prominent albums, Lovelyville, and Strangers from the Universe. They toured the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and the UK in 1994 and made an appearance on the John Peel radio show on the BBC. In 1996 they toured briefly as an opening act for the then-popular band Live but were not received well by the Live fanbase. Thinking Fellers has been largely dormant since 1996, having toured sporadically and released only one full album, Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche, since. 

Anyone who is a newcomer to TFUL282, I can only warn in advance should you feel inspired to purchase any of their albums. As stated in the short bio above, their albums "combine lo-fi noise rock and ambient sounds (referred to as "Feller filler")". Most of their albums there's plenty of the Feller filler, which I know many fans of the band absolutely love. Others beg to differ. Personally, I don't mind it too much but would have preferred less of it on each release. For this collection, there is very little "filler", concentrating on my favourite "proper" songs from their back catalogue.

From 1988 to 2001 they released 7 studio albums, plus several EPs/singles. My favourite albums by them I'd say are their first album, "Wormed by Leonard", and their final (?) album "Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche". For this  collection I've taken tracks from all albums, plus the odd single/EP release, and a couple of tracks from compilation albums. "Feller filler" is at a minimum, just the one track included which I've put in the middle of this collection. This is probably the most "difficult" band I've made an anthology of so far, but I hope you'll enjoy the songs I've chosen. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file.

  1. Leaky Bag (3:53)
  2. Tell Me (4:07)
  3. The Piston and the Shaft (5:05)
  4. Sister Hell (3:22)
  5. Empty Cup (2:57)
  6. 2x4s (4:25)
  7. The Electrocutioner (3:25)
  8. Everything's Impossible (4:02)
  9. Narlus Spectre (3:14)
10. Heavy Head (4:59)
11. My Pal the Tortoise (2:47)
12. Hills (2:11)
13. Catcher (2:25)
14. Sinking Boats (4:48)
15. Who Are Parents? (4:22)
16. Perlmnlrl (5:12)
17. '91 Dodge Van (1:33)
18. Undertaker (3:19)
19. Noble Experiment (3:31)
20. Hive (4:35)
21. Flames Up (3:10)
22. Misfits Park (2:54)
23. Everyday (1:56)
24. Another Clip (3:51)

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Kramer - Being Absurd

 

Short bio:
Mark Kramer (born Stephen Michael Bonner, 1958 in New York City, United States) known professionally as Kramer, is a musician, composer, record producer and founder of the New York City record label Shimmy Disc. He was a full-time member of the bands New York Gong, B.A.L.L., Shockabilly, Bongwater and Dogbowl & Kramer, has played on tour (usually on bass guitar) with bands such as Butthole Surfers, Ween, Half Japanese and The Fugs (1984 reunion tour), and has also performed regularly with John Zorn and other improvising musicians of New York City's so-called "downtown scene" of the 1980s.

Kramer's most notable work as a producer has been with bands such as Galaxie 500 (whose entire oeuvre he produced), Low (whom he discovered and produced), Half Japanese, White Zombie, GWAR, King Missile, Danielson Famile, Will Oldham, Daniel Johnston, and Urge Overkill, including their hit cover of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon".

My introduction to the world of Kramer began when I started buying albums released on his Shimmy Disc label. As I've stated before on this blog, my favourite record label of the 1980s/early 90s was Flying Nun, but I'd say during that period Shimmy Disc were a close 2nd. Through the label I discovered such great bands as King Missile, When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water, The Tinklers, Japan's Ruins and Boredoms. At the time, B.A.L.L. were particular favourites, even managing to see them play live at the Fulham Greyhound around 1989. If I had to pick one band he was in that stood out more than anyone else, it was the wonderful Bongwater. Releasing 4 excellent albums (plus a couple of EPs and 1 single) from 1987 to 1992, to this day I often go back to those albums, never tiring of them.

For this collection I decided to concentrate on albums released under his name only, plus various compilation tracks credited only to him. I chose nothing from the album "Let Me Explain Something to You About Art", from 1998, as it featured only 3 very lengthy tracks which wouldn't fit on this collection. Also not included are any tracks from "The Brill Building, Book Two, Featuring Bill Frisell", released in 2017. His debut solo release, 1992's "The Guilt Trip" I think is his finest work. The album's cover is a parody of George Harrison’s "All Things Must Pass", and like that album it's a sprawling triple album (or double CD). Not surprisingly selections from this album feature most here, 7 tracks in total.
 
He's recorded several other albums either in the bands mentioned in the bio, or collaborating with other artists such as Jad Fair, Ralph Carney and Daved Hild, John S. Hall, Daevid Allen, Dogbowl and Hugh Hopper. Most of them are definitely worth purchasing. Maybe one day I'll do another Kramer compilation, featuring my favourite tracks from these collaborations plus tracks by B.A.L.L., Shockabilly etc.
As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection, and stay safe!

  1. Hello Music (4:31)
  2. She Won't Let Go (3:53)
  3. Strings (3:35)
  4. My Way (2:36)
  5. Insight (3:06)
  6. Got What I Deserved (4:53)
  7. The Well Hung Jury (3:03)
  8. Save the Last Dance for Me (3:05)
  9. The Slider (1:55)
10. Sshhh (3:33)
11. Who Are You Today? (6:22)
12. Big of You (3:53)
13. The Opium Wars Have Long Ceased (2:50)
14. Walk on By (3:04)
15. The Ephus Ball (2:01)
16. Charlotte's Brain (2:57)
17. My Rock 'n Roll (2:52)
18. 69 Annee Erotique (4:15)
19. Don't Come Around (3:42)
20. Do Wah Diddy Diddy (3:33)
21. The Maximus Poems (3:48)
22. It Never Stops Being Absurd (5:33)

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