Man Erg 2023 Mix />7even<\

 

Belated happy new year to you all! As promised here is Man Erg's selection of favourites from last year. He sent me quite a huge list of songs, which I was more than happy to compile for this almost 4 hour long mix. There's a few artists I'm not too familiar with featured here, from what I've heard they're definitely worth investigating further. Hope you enjoy listening to this mix as much as I enjoyed compiling it. Cheers!

Part 1:
  1. Protomartyr - 3800 Tigers (2:22)
  2. Benedict Benjamin - White Noise (3:16)
  3. Belbury Poly - The Path (4:19)
  4. Nighttime - Spring, You Come Again (3:40)
  5. The Clientele - Fables of the Silverlink (8:24)
  6. Squid - Swing (In a Dream) (4:27)
  7. Vanille - La Rose (3:43)
  8. Altin Gün - Leylim Ley (4:12)
  9. The Polyphonic Spree - Section 49 (Hop off the Fence) (3:29)
10. John Matthias & Jay Auborn - Auto Psalm Engine (4:57)
11. Meg Baird - Ashes, Ashes (6:06)
12. Dina Ögon - År (3:50)
13. Avey Tare - Hey Bog (9:22)
14. Orions Belte - Balloonfest '86 (2:39)
15. Homunculus Res - Fine del Mondo (4:04)
16. Shana Cleveland - Mayonnaise (2:55)
17. Dorotheo - Cristina (2:57)
18. Anona - Anona (4:26)
19. Yo La Tengo - Brain Capers (5:30)
20. John Cale - Marilyn Monroe's Legs (Beauty Elsewhere) (6:51)
21. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - As the Carousel Swings (4:58)
22. Modern Cosmology - A Time to Blossom (7:15)
23. Holy Wave - Hypervigilance (4:58)
24. Blonde Redhead - Via Savona (5:05)
25. Paintbox - Today & Tomorrow (4:09)
26. Derrero - Sigh of Life (2:25)

Part 2:
  1. Celistia - Epílogo (4:23)
  2. @ - Camera Phone (4:21)
  3. Sunfruits - Believe It All (4:04)
  4. Forever Pavot - La Mer à Boire (5:43)
  5. Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan - A Fresh Dawn For North Cheshire (4:21)
  6. Large Plants - No Time to Make it Right (2:08)
  7. Monde UFO - Garden of Agony (3:36)
  8. Ulrika Spacek - No Design (4:51)
  9. The Gaslamp Killer & The Heliocentrics - Rumble in the Jungle (5:23)
10. White Canyon & The 5th Dimension - Ancient Secrets of Green Leaf (4:22)
11. Emma Anderson - Xanthe (2:30)
12. Rose City Band - Mariposa (7:14)
13. Slowdive - Shanty (5:43)
14. Eerie Wanda & Kramer - Antebellum (6:04)
15. Death and Vanilla - Find Another Illusion (4:01)
16. Brown Spirits - Space Race (4:41)
17. En Attendant Ana - The Cut Off (2:38)
18. Goat - You'll Be Alright (3:36)
19. Jihad Darwish - 4 Parakeets (4:22)
20. The South Hill Experiment - Every Stride (3:55)
21. Maria BC - Mercury (4:08)
22. Kassi Valazza - Watching Planes Go By (5:55)
23. Mathew's Hidden Museum - Naked & Rolled in That Rotten Dirt (3:03)
24. Cory Hanson - Driving Through Heaven (10:28)
25. Wax Machine - Sister (3:18)
26. Kolezanka - Cheers! (3:48)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 88

 

  1. Celistia - Dormida en Sus Ojos (6:16)
  2. Color Green - Ain't It Sad (4:18)
  3. PNEM - Mikro Elektro (4:47)
  4. Bachdenkel - The Whole World (Looking Over My Shoulder) (3:34)
  5. The Colourfield - Pushing Up the Daisies (4:01)
  6. Siegfried Schwab - Gettin' High (2:24)
  7. The NoMen - Worming Tablets (4:16)
  8. Alice - Un Oiseau Magnifique (2:45)
  9. Nucleus - Sun Child (5:14)
10. Dury Dava - Zoupa (3:56)
11. Zero 7 - Give It Away (5:16)
12. Death and Vanilla - Find Another Illusion (4:01)
13. Bill Callahan & Bonnie "Prince" Billy - OD'd in Denver (3:28)
14. Zukunft - Nightspeed (5:08)
15. Skaldowie - Jak Znikajacy Punkt (6:35)
16. Sven Wunder - North Wind Rattles the Leaves (4:17)
17. Lelee - Nestaješ (4:54)
18. The Dials - Behind the Bookshelf (3:41)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 81

 

 

 

  1. Electric Orange - Einwahn (7:51)
  2. Gatien - Ce Que les Français Veulent (2:49)
  3. The Whitefield Brothers - Pamukkale (3:55)
  4. Think Dog - Sunday Brings Another Day (2:05)
  5. Moose - I Wanted to See You to See if I Wanted You (3:20)
  6. Pan & Regaliz - I Can Fly (3:34)
  7. Cornelius - Point of View Point (3:53)
  8. Ojibo Afrobeat - Heatwave (5:20)
  9. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Solved (4:08)
10. Amp - Sunflower (acoustic version) (3:09)
11. The Flaming Lips - Shaved Gorilla (2:56)
12. Dungen - Sol Och Regn (4:18)
13. Magic Cobra - Golden Child (3:31)
14. Hervé Roy - Triple Clavinet (2:25)
15. Promised Land Sound - Push and Pull (All the Time) (5:09)
16. Savath & Savalas feat. José González - Estrella de Dos Caras (4:28)
17. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Don't Let Me Get in Your Way (2:43)
18. Art Zoyd - Sangria (2:28)
19. Uilab - St. Elmo's Fire (radio) (4:07)
20. Woods - Weekend Wind (7:10)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

Midlake - Particle Separation Room (2001-2013)

 

Bio:
Midlake formed in Denton, Texas, in 1999 by a group of musicians who had attended the North Texas School of Music together: Paul Alexander (bass, keyboards), Eric Nichelson (keyboards, guitar), Eric Pulido (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), Tim Smith (vocals, keyboards, guitar), and Mckenzie Smith (drums). They issued their debut  EP, Milkmaid Grand Army, in 2001.

Their first full-length album, Bamnan and Slivercork, was released in July 2004. It showed a move in the direction of lo-fi psychedelic electronica, embracing influences such as Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips. For their next album, Midlake changed gears and moved away from the psychedelic leanings of their debut toward a more '70s-influenced sound. Released in 2006, The Trials of Van Occupanther featured the same lineup and a sound reminiscent of harmony-rich soft rock bands like America and Laurel Canyon troubadours like Neil Young and Gene Clark.

Their 3rd LP, The Courage of Others, arrived in February 2010. The album, which showcased Tim Smith's brooding baritone vocals, had a slower pace and denser musical arrangements inspired by British prog-folk acts like Pentangle, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.

In 2011 they headed to Buffalo, Texas and began writing new material for their fourth album. After playing a few live shows in 2012, lead singer and songwriter Smith decided to leave the band and formed a new project, Harp. Undeterred by his departure, the remaining members returned to the studio and scrapped two years of work to start from scratch. Pulido was installed on lead vocals and new members Jesse Chandler (piano/flute) and Joey McClellan (guitar) joined the outfit.

Their fourth release, Antiphon, was released in October 2013. "Antiphon is the most honest representation of the band as a whole, as opposed to one person's vision that we were trying to facilitate," Pulido remarked in the album's press release, which characterizes the new music as "free-flowing in feel, concise in structure ... it's very much Midlake, but uncannily rebooted, and relaxed". Antiphon is more rooted in progressive rock than their earlier records.

 

I was a bit of a latecomer to Midlake, not really coming to my attention until I heard their 2nd album "The Trials of Van Occupanther". I didn't think that much of it on first listen, but with repeated plays it soon became one of my favourite releases of 2006. This collection features tracks from their 4 studio albums, and a couple of EP tracks. Also featured are some "bonus" tracks such as "Rose of Dawn" which was released on the Japanese edition of "The Courage of Others", and the re-animation of "Roscoe" by Beyond the Wizards Sleeve, which I prefer to the original version. "Festival" was previously unreleased, not seeing the light of day until appearing on the 10th anniversary edition of "Van Occupanther", and finally an excellent version of Black Sabbath's "Am I Going Insane" from their LateNightTales compilation. All 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 as ever keep staying safe!

  1. In This Camp (5:41)
  2. Mopper's Medley (4:57)
  3. It's Going Down (3:16)
  4. Fortune (2:02)
  5. Roller Skate (Farewell June) (3:31)
  6. Roscoe (Beyond the Wizards Sleeve Re-Animation) (6:48)
  7. It Covers the Hillsides (3:10)
  8. The Courage of Others (3:13)
  9. The Old and the Young (5:35)
10. Mornings Will Be Kind (2:44)
11. Rose of Dawn (2:59)
12. They Cannot Let It Expand (2:52)
13. Festival (5:11)
14. Young Bride (4:50)
15. Am I Going Insane (6:02)
16. Bring Down (3:35)
17. This Weight (3:32)
18. Kingfish Pies (4:15)
19. Head Home (5:43)

  Download FLAC
  Download mp3

Willard Grant Conspiracy - Trail's End

Bio:
Willard Grant Conspiracy was an alt-country band based near Palmdale, California, USA.

Originally formed by Robert Fisher and Paul Austin in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, the band operated as a collective, with vocalist Fisher the only permanent member throughout its existence. Up to 30 other musicians occasionally contributed to the band, both in the studio and during live performances. Fisher's voice and Americana style have been compared to both John Cale and Johnny Cash, with most songs being acoustic. He was a self-taught musician who followed his instincts—the main reason his music has such a unique sound.

The band toured extensively in 2005 and 2006 visiting 23 countries, including a showcase at the South by Southwest music festival. They continued to tour in the US and occasionally in Europe and the UK until 2016. The band's 2003 release Regard The End, featuring Kristin Hersh as well as Chris Eckman of The Walkabouts, received critical acclaim with Uncut magazine naming it Album of the Month.

WGC released 10 studio albums and 5 live albums between 1996 and 2018, their final release "Untethered" being released posthumously after Robert Fisher died of cancer at the age of 59 on February 12, 2017. He was the beating heart of Willard Grant Conspiracy, was loved by many, and has left behind a legacy that will never die.

This is another band I didn't consider at all for a compilation, until hearing a track by them on BBC Radio 6 the other day. I hadn't really listened to much of their work for several years, despite enjoying the posthumous album "Untethered" which was a surprise release in 2018. So I dug out all the albums, enjoying once more the fine body of work they had released over the years. This collection includes tracks from all studio albums, but for once I've included a live track to end on. The track in question, "The Visitor", is probably my favourite WGC song, I have several versions of it, but my favourite rendition is on the live album "The Green, Green Grass Of Slovenia" which came out in the year 2000.

As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Stay safe (or alert!), and I hope you enjoy this latest collection.

  1. Bring It Down (6:36)
  2. Soft Hand (5:39)
  3. Massachusetts (4:00)
  4. Let It Roll (9:19)
  5. Painter Blue (5:23)
  6. Preparing for the Fall (7:43)
  7. Hideous Beast (1:55)
  8. No Such Thing as Clean (8:47)
  9. How to Get to Heaven (4:48)
10. Water & Roses (3:13)
11. Crush (5:42)
12. Incident at Mono Lake (4:13)
13. Untethered (4:21)
14. The Visitor (7:58)

  Download FLAC
  Download mp3

 

Vic Chesnutt - Stay Inside

 

James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, "Little", was released in 1990, but his breakthrough to commercial success did not come until 1996 with the release of "Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation", a charity record of alternative artists covering his songs. Chesnutt released 16 albums during his career, including two produced by Michael Stipe. His musical style has been described by Bryan Carroll of allmusic.com as a "skewed, refracted version of Americana that is haunting, funny, poignant, and occasionally mystical, usually all at once". Injuries from a 1983 car accident left him partially paralyzed; he used a wheelchair and had limited use of his hands.

The above quoted from Wikipedia. More info here.

I was a bit of a latecomer to Chesnutt, I'd heard the odd tune by him over the years, but only really started getting into him when I was recommended his 2005 album "Ghetto Bells". It was a good recommendation, as exposure to this album had me delving into his previous work. Some were a bit patchy, but most I found a very rewarding listen. For me his outstanding album was "North Star Deserter", released in 2007, an album I often come back to. It also contains my favourite track by him, "Everything I Say", which I end this anthology with.
For this collection I've taken tracks from 14 of his studio albums covering the years 1990 to 2009, omitting the 2 releases he recorded under the name Brute, a side project of his with members of Widespread Panic. Sadly I don't have those albums...

In these unsettling times with many of us anxious about this worldwide pandemic (plus many of us having to endure a lockdown), choosing the title of this anthology I went with the appropriately named "Stay Inside", which is also the first track on here. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Take care everyone, hope you enjoy, and stay safe!

  1. Stay Inside (4:43)
  2. Ladle (4:03)
  3. And How (3:04) [with Elf Power and the Amorphous Strums]
  4. Square Room (4:28)
  5. Look at Me (2:22)
  6. Wrong Piano (2:54)
  7. What Do You Mean? (4:54)

  8. Philip Guston (3:25)
  9. Bad Boy Town (2:52)
10. Degenerate (4:21)
11. Marathon (5:32)
12. Preponderance (2:47) [with Mr. and Mrs. Keneipp]
13. My New Life (4:11)
14. Panic Pure (3:04)
15. Fa-La-La (5:14)
16. Little Fucker (4:26) [with Elf Power and the Amorphous Strums]
17. Bakersfield (2:24)
18. Maiden (2:56)
19. Sleeping Man (Syd Version) (4:42)
20. Everything I Say (6:52)

  Download FLAC

  Download mp3