Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 111 (1980s special)

 

This Spaghetti Tree volume is a little different, consisting entirely of songs released in the 1980s, a decade which my old pal moonglum insists is the worst ever for music. Yes, there were plenty of awful artists/songs in the 1980s, just like any other decade, so I compiled this "80s special" as my argument against his claim. I think he was just listening to the wrong music...!
The cover art was inspired by the lovely Sarah, joing up 2 photos taken by her, which I've manipulated somewhat. Hope you all enjoy this latest volume!!


Disc 1:
  1. Opal - Supernova (4:17)
  2. Bird Nest Roys - Ain't Mutatin' (2:42)
  3. Zag and The Coloured Beads - Truckhouse (2:33)
  4. Modern Art - Light Comes Down (3:17)
  5. Daevid Allen - Afraid (2:00)
  6. Bobb Trimble - When the Raven Calls (6:35)
  7. Moral - Juice (3:18)
  8. Au Pairs - Love Song (2:48)
  9. Big Black - Kerosene (6:01)
10. Sardine v - Minutes (5:06)
11. Mekons - Dora (4:38)
12. Plasticland - No Shine for the Shoes (2:27)
13. The Mommyheads - Cactus Farm (3:28)
14. The Chills - The Great Escape (2:28)
15. Viv Stanshall - Terry Keeps His Clips On (3:37)
16. Violeta de Outono - Declínio de Maio (4:59)
17. Dark Day - The Metal Benders (2:46)
18. The Ex - Kachun-K Pschûh (3:40)
19. Guided by Voices - The Qualifying Remainder (2:55)
20. Mick Wills - She Looked Down (9:40)

Disc 2:
  1. Marden Hill - Masque (2:51)
  2. Crispy Ambulance - We Move Through the Plateau Phase (5:41)
  3. Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band - Sue Egypt (2:53)
  4. The Green Pajamas - I Feel That Way All the Time (4:11)
  5. Throwing Muses - Hate My Way (4:03)
  6. Bill Laswell - Lowlands (4:18)
  7. Colin Newman - Alone (3:57)
  8. The Kiwi Animal - Blue Morning (2:16)
  9. Solid Space - Tenth Planet (2:52)
10. Camberwell Now - Working Nights (7:41)
11. A.R. Kane - Suicide Kiss (3:35)
12. Spacebox - Session Groove (3:49)
13. This Kind of Punishment - After the Fact (4:44)
14. The Durutti Column - People's Pleasure Park (4:55)
15. Edu Passeto & Gui Tavares - Menino de Pindorama (3:55)
16. Family Fodder - Cold Wars (3:36)
17. The Bats - North by North (4:04)
18. Pauk - Pozlilo od Strasti (2:51)
19. Tangle Edge - The Approaching Triptykhon Sunset (3:42)
20. Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians - Goodnight I Say (3:10)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 109

  1. Ali & Charif Megarbane - Pekojan Funk (3:24)
  2. Nick Nicely - Hilly Fields (1892) (3:29)
  3. Sean Wolcott - The Hours That Bear Their Mark (3:04)
  4. Dug Dug's - Tímido (2:22)
  5. Barry Ryan - What's That Sleeping in My Bed? (2:17)
  6. Stump - Bone (3:46)
  7. Luster - All Is Dark Inside (4:30)
  8. The Heavenly Bodes - Faux Pillars (5:29)
  9. Ishaaq Aarkistra - Grunderna (4:58)
10. Jean-Jacques Debout - Le Soleil Sur La Peau (2:18)
11. Seely - Planes Circle Do (7:30)
12. Plaid & Benet Walsh - Eyen (4:19)
13. White Canyon & The 5th Dimension - Alumia (6:42)
14. Huw Marc Bennett - Y Fedwen (The Birch) (3:46)
15. Amon Düül II - Fly United (3:30)
16. Dan Lacksman - Sunshine Is Gone (2:48)
17. John Cameron - Swamp Fever (2:07)
18. Heaven & Earth - A Light Is Shining (2:36)
19. The Comsat Angels - Now I Know (3:56)
20. The Bevis Frond - Horrorful Heights (3:17)
21. Heavy Meddo - Hairpiece Horseman (3:07)

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Pell Mell - Endless Open Motion

 

Bio:
Pell Mell were an American instrumental group whose music could be seen on some levels as a forerunner of post-rock, sharing its eclecticism and fusion of acoustics and electronics, but shying away from its more self-conscious avant-gardisms and free-form qualities. Formed in the early 1980s in Portland, Oregon, they developed a distinctive sound built around interlocking guitars, steady rhythms, and an absence of vocals that allowed their compositions to unfold like scenes from an unwritten film. Their work often carried a sense of motion and landscape, suggesting open roads, shifting light, and the passage of time. Not wanting to be pigeonholed as mere revivalists, they switched up their attack with touches of funk, punk, Krautrock, dub, and vintage ambient, among other sources, which resulted in an atmospheric, effects-laden sound that was certainly aided by its creators' production prowess. Across releases culminating in albums like "Interstate", Pell Mell refined a style that was both understated and emotionally resonant, helping to lay groundwork for later instrumental and post-rock acts. Though never widely commercial, they earned a devoted following for their ability to convey atmosphere without words, creating music that feels at once intimate and expansive, perfectly suited to long journeys, both literal and imagined.


I first had the idea of compiling a Pell Mell anthology several years back, finally getting the kick up the backside to go for it thanks to a compilation of instrumentals, "Syncopated Musings From The Nineties", posted on the wonderful  jonderblog blog a few weeks ago featuring 3 tracks by the band. You can find a link to them in my blog list. Much more prolific than me, you'll find loads of highly original and diverse compilations to enjoy. https://jonderblog.blogspot.com/

This isn't an all all-encompassing anthology, there's a few compilation tracks/b-sides which I don't possess, but this does include tracks from all their studio albums and their debut EP from 1981. The majority of tracks included here come from their final 3 album releases, which I think feature their strongest work. As for my favourite Pell Mell album, I'd probably go for their one major label release, "Interstate" from 1995. As usual, origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and noted in the download folder. I hope you all enjoy this latest anthology. Cheers!

 

  1. Spy vs Spy (2:51)
  2. Estacada (5:01)
  3. Ether (4:33)
  4. Flood (6:57)
  5. On Approach (2:56)
  6. Blacktop (3:20)
  7. Conversation (4:15)
  8. All This and More (3:05)
  9. Sky Lobby (3:50)
10. Swoon (1:54)
11. Par Avion (4:10)
12. The Devil Bush (2:15)
13. Vegetable Kingdom (6:26)
14. Upstairs (3:25)
15. Field of Poppies (2:35)
16. Nothing Lies Still Long (4:06)
17. American Eagle (2:20)
18. Red Rhythm (6:02)
19. Cinecitta (5:22)
20. Smoke (4:04)

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Best of 2025 mix - Volume 2

 

  1. Citrus Citrus - Ivory Crumbs (2:51)
  2. Gloria - Eleusis (4:26)
  3. Automatic - Don't Wanna Dance (4:26)
  4. Soft Hearted Scientists - Hello Hello (5:12)
  5. The Len Price 3 - Dead Man's Island (2:06)
  6. The Miracle Seeds - What You Know (3:56)
  7. Sons of Zöku - Energia (3:50)
  8. Cate Le Bon - About Time (3:29)
  9. Ty Segall - Buildings (4:11)
10. Lost Crowns - She Didn't Want (5:56)
11. Mekons - Before the Ice Age (3:24)
12. Lake Ruth - The Next Level (3:04)
13. Lorelle Meets the Obsolete - Palabra (5:59)
14. Ashinoa - Monstera (4:34)
15. Midlake - Lion's Den (3:41)
16. Gwenno - Y Gath (4:04)
17. Jumble Hole Clough - It's Time to Go Home (2:40)
18. The Bats - A Crutch a Post (2:55)
19. Midnight Rodeo - Cleanshirt (3:07)
20. Eggy - Are You Not Entertained? (5:01)

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Best of 2025 mix - Volume 1

 

I won't say too much about how 2025 was for me on a personal level, except to say I've had better years... On the positive side, it's been yet another excellent year for new music. As I mentioned previously, I still have quite a few releases to catch up on, once I've done that volume 2 should hopefully follow within the next 2 weeks. This first volume consists mostly of albums released the first 9 months of the year, plus a few which caught my attention quite recently. 

I wish all of you a happy new year and hope you enjoy this first offering, a bit later than usual. Cheers!

  1. Mandrake Handshake - Hypersonic Super-Asterid (8:33)

  2. MIEN - Tungsten (4:00)

  3. Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek - Istanbul’un Kuslari (3:10)

  4. Gros Coeur - Montréal (5:25)

  5. The John Denver Airport Conspiracy - Portman Road (2:37)

  6. Titanic - Alzando el Trofeo (3:26)

  7. The Budos Band - Overlander (2:50)

  8. Population II - Rédemption Naturelle (3:13)

  9. House of All - Oh What Is Love Made For (2:40)

10. The Gentle Good - Dark Skies (4:05)

11. Floral Image - The Score (3:44)

12. La Nouvelle Musique - Still Life (4:31)

13. Monde UFO - No Sight Screening (2:44)

14. Stereolab - Transmuted Matter (4:13)

15. Dinastía Moon - Morita (3:28)

16. Little Barrie & Malcolm Catto - Count of Four (6:04)

17. Wombo - Spyhopping (2:24)

18. The Ex - Monday Song (5:40)

19. REFAIM - Or Va Zel (5:47)

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Inside Man Erg's Monumental No. 9 Mix

 

Another year ends, quite a traumatic one for me, but I won't dwell on that, I need to look forward... 
No matter what life throws at us, there's always good music to help us through the bad times. So, to end this year, as promised, here are a few of Man Erg's favourite songs/artists from 2025. There's certainly plenty of good music on this comp, with quite a few artists unfamiliar to me which I will definitely be seeking out. 
I need to catch up on some of the more recent releases the past 3 or so months, so my "best of" 2025 mix won't appear for at least a couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy Man Erg's favourites from the past year, as much as I enjoyed compiling them, and I wish all of you the most wonderful new year. Cheers!

 Part 1
  1. Insecure Men - Cleaning Bricks (3:03)
  2. Harry the Nightgown - Two Sides (2:52)
  3. Clémentine March - Stories (2:16)
  4. Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan - All Mod Cons (3:35)
  5. The Moles - Alvin Hollis (2:26)
  6. Dimorphodons - I Want You to Know (6:08)
  7. Dead Famous People - Gladwrap (3:38)
  8. The Miracle Seeds - A Ripple in Time (5:31)
  9. Piers Faccini & Ballaké Sissoko - Special Rider Blues (5:08)
10. Lake Ruth - Potalaka Listening Station (3:35)
11. Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (3:34)
12. These New Puritans - A Season in Hell (5:00)
13. Rural Tapes - Flower Lab (6:36)
14. Hannah Cohen - Dusty (4:03)
15. SOYUZ - Krok (3:04)
16. jasmine.4.t - Did U No (5:03)
17. pôt-pot - I AM! (5:58)

Part 2
  1. Gwenno - St Ives New School (5:43)
  2. Litronix - Electric Panoramic (4:43)
  3. Melody's Echo Chamber - Burning Man (2:27)
  4. Ringlets - Hit the Frog (4:39)
  5. Preen - English Sun (3:44)
  6. Cate Le Bon - Mothers of Riches (4:33)
  7. SHOLTO - Smooth Sailing ft. Phoebe Coco (3:04)
  8. Midlake - Make Haste (4:46)
  9. Smote - Snodgerss (3:49)
10. Dyr Faser - Human Interest (3:18)
11. Stereolab - Esemplastic Creeping Eruption (6:02)
12. The Bats - Corner Coming Up (4:08)
13. Yzoula & Louis Fontaine - La Promenade De La Jeune Sorcière (3:23)
14. Midnight Rodeo - Buggin' Out (4:56)
15. Don Leisure - Bra^n Swi^t (3:59)
16. House of All - The Good Englishman (4:47)
17. Atom Juice - Sexi Frogs (6:57)

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