Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 78

 

  1. Tangle Edge - Yatantah (Part I) (3:37)
  2. The Invisible Hands - My Skull (3:04)
  3. Гипер-Змей по имени Хлыст - Скарабей (4:28)
  4. Daniele Patucchi - Motivi Psichedelici (4:41)
  5. The Virgineers - Plasticman (4:28)
  6. James Clarke - Pop Girl (1:42)
  7. The Red Krayola - Stil de Grain Brun (2:07)
  8. Hawkwind - Opa-Loka (5:03)
  9. Wire - Marooned (2:19)
10. Psychic TV - Being Lost (3:48)
11. Kourosh Yaghmaei - Dar Enteha (4:08)
12. Van der Graaf - Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running) (4:45)
13. Dina Ögon - Nirvana (4:28)
14. Bombay Groovy - Chakal (3:52)
15. Stephen Bailey - Sub Zero (3:38)
16. Perplexa - Hunt (3:31)
17. Broadcast - Forget Every Time (4:07)
18. Allah-Las - Blackberry Jam (3:01)
19. Midlake - The End (3:20)
20. Starry Eyed and Laughing - Lady Came From the South (3:41)
21. The Greg Foat Group - Time Piece 1 (Harpsichord Bugalu) (5:22)

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Aquaserge - Musique Polymorphe

 

Short bio:
Aquaserge’s resolutely polymorphous music draws from sources as diverse as original psych pop, free jazz, noise, vintage French film music, pataphysics, and the most adventurous side of ’60s/’70s rock (say, from kraut to Canterbury to cult Gallic bands such as ZNR). All absorbed and playfully transmuted to create their own unique, cinematic sound. Their tracks include instrumental excursions, intriguing harmonies, and pristine pop songs, always ready to joyfully burst at the seams.

Aquaserge formed in Toulouse in early 2005 and recorded their debut release, "Un". The "Tahiti Coco" EP was recorded later in the year, and released in 2008. Un & Deux, the band's first CD, was released in 2009. Aquaserge's next album was "Ce Très Cher Serge", released in 2010. Aquaserge then collaborated with American indie pop star/Francophile April March for a self-titled album, released in early 2013. The following year, saw the release of the abum "A l'Amitié" and 12" EP "Tout Arrive".

In 2016, Aquaserge signed to long-running Belgian experimental label Crammed Discs, releasing the "Guerre" EP and appearing on "16 Visions of Ex-Futur", an album of reworked versions of songs from Véronique Vincent and Aksak Maboul's "Ex-Futur Album". Aquaserge's first full-length on Crammed Discs was "Laisse Ça Être", released in 2017. The group's first live album, "Déjà-Vous?", followed in 2018. In 2021, the band released "The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge", which included interpretations of compositions by Edgard Varèse and Morton Feldman, as well as homages to Györgi Ligeti and Giacinto Scelsi.


Not much I can really add to the above opening paragraph about this rather special group, having only got into them around 5 years ago, after hearing their 2017 album "Laisse Ça Être". That's probably my favourite album by them, but as ever they're all worth getting, though maybe their latest is a bit more challenging..! This collection takes tracks from all their studio albums, apart from their debut, plus a couple of EPs and a couple of tracks taken from compilation albums. 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.


1. La Femme de Tahiti (8:31)
2. TVCQJVD (3:49)
3. L'Ire Est au Rendez-Vous (5:38)
4. Sybarite [with April March] (3:19)
5. Les Vacances (3:39)
6. Vers le Néant (3:22)
7. Un Grand Sommeil Noir (4:23)
8. Je Viens (4:28)
9. Endormons-Nous (2:47)
10. C'est Pas Tout Mais (5:33)
11. Retrouvailles (3:03)
12. Sparklers [with April March] (2:33)
13. 1768°c (À Edgar Varèse) (6:59)
14. Les Oiseaux (2:49)
15. Si Tu T’en Vas (4:03)
16. Tout Arrive (3:10)
17. Tintin On Est Bien Mon Loulou (6:00)
18. Sillage 3 (3:49)

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My Dad Is Dead - No Turning Back (1985-1991)

 

Short bio:
Formed by drummer Mark Edwards in August 1984 after the breakup of the Cleveland band Riot Architecture, My Dad Is Dead  has remained his solo project, with occasional help from a revolving-door cast. His name for this project was a nod to both of his parents having died by the time he was 21 years old. Edwards learned to play guitar during late 1984, and played his first show the following year with a backing band consisting of a drum machine. He recorded his first LP, "...and He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore", at a friend's home studio, and released it in May 1986 on St. Valentine Records.

After a lengthy tour supporting Modern English and then the Butthole Surfers, he released "Peace, Love and Murder" in May 1987. Edwards signed a contract with Homestead Records early the following year, and released "Let's Skip the Details" in May 1988. Soon after, he added the first bandmembers to My Dad Is Dead: bassist Jeff Curtis and drummer John McEntire (later to gain fame in Tortoise). "The Best Defense", an album of material from the previous album's sessions, was released on Homestead in December 1988.

With McEntire gone on to Bastro and Curtis unwilling to tour, Edwards recruited the Prisonshake rhythm section -- Chris Burgess on bass and Scott Pickering on drums -- for a 1989 tour of Europe. The group's fifth album, a 1989 double LP titled "The Taller You Are, the Shorter You Get", was its last for Homestead. With yet another lineup (this time guitarists Tim Gilbride and Doug Gillard plus Burgess on bass), My Dad Is Dead moved to Scat Records in April 1990 for the "Shine" EP. The band's first album for Scat, "Chopping Down the Family Tree", was released in October 1991...

Click here for full bio/discography.

With almost every anthology I've compiled I can remember when/how I first heard the artist featured. With My Dad Is Dead I really have no recollection, which is peculiar. Did Manerg recommend them to me? We used to make many compilation tapes for each other in the mid/late 80s so maybe from one of those... Or did I first hear them on the excellent "Human Music" compilation released by Homestead Records in 1988? Maybe it was an impulse buy, as I believe my first purchase was 1988's "Let's Skip the Details" which was released by Homestead, one of my favourite record labels at the time..

Anyway, they were one of my most listened to bands of the late 80s, despite the rather lo-fi quality of those early releases. This collection starts with my 2nd favourite MDID song, "Baby's Got a Problem", which comes from what I consider their finest album, the aforementioned "Let's Skip the Details". My favourite song though, is "Nothing Special", which originally came out on the double album "The Taller You Are, the Shorter You Get". This song has been recorded a few times, for me the best version is the re-recording which came out on the double 7" "Shine" EP in 1990. That version is featured here. There's also an excellent version by Bastro which came out on a split 7" with MDID, in return MDID did a cover of Bastro's "Flesh-Colored House".

I kind of lost track of future MDID releases after the 1991 release "Chopping Down the Family Tree", which is why this collection only goes up to that year. I have recently managed to track down all releases by the band since then, and plan on doing a future anthology of the later years. I hope those unfamiliar with the band enjoy this collection, enough to check out their bandcamp page where you can buy most of their releases.

  1. Baby's Got a Problem (5:30)
  2. Planes Crashing (4:26)
  3. Open Wide (3:44)
  4. The Quiet Man (2:41)
  5. Gone Gonna Rise (2:45)
  6. The Last Time (2:47)
  7. Lay Down the Law (4:20)
  8. 20 Yards Deep (5:49)
  9. Hill o' Beans (4:25)
10. The Only One (4:52)
11. Time Has Come Today (7:29)
12. Waste (2:09)
13. Nothing Special (4:46)
14. Cool Rain (6:49)
15. On Holy Ground (3:12)
16. Whirlpool (4:25)
17. Babe in the Woods (3:00)
18. All My Strength (2:40)
19. Say Goodbye (3:36)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 77

 

  1. Limiñanas / Garnier - Saul (5:38)
  2. Darondo - Qualified (2:49)
  3. The Soundcarriers - Falling Back (3:43)
  4. Charlotte Walters - Angel of Sin (2:10)
  5. L. Voag - Kitchen (2:19)
  6. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian (4:19)
  7. Justen O'Brien & Jake - Are You Ready to Leave (4:03)
  8. Mission of Burma - Trem Two (4:09)
  9. Papete - Se Num Samba (3:42)
10. Tony Allen - Get Together (5:54)
11. The High Voices - Halilit Kesem (3:59)
12. Bill Wilson - Pay Day Give Away (3:56)
13. Smog - Held (3:57)
14. Yard Act - Land of the Blind (2:59)
15. Emmanuelle Parrenin & Detlef Weinrich - A Zombie's Passport (4:35)
16. Et Cetera - The Really Great Escape (4:08)
17. Dougie Stu - Another One for Slug (4:06)
18. Spindrift - Joe Medicine Crow (2:36)
19. Franco Micalizzi - Laure (# 3) (4:18)
20. Amit Kumar & Chorus - Y.O.G.A. (6:01)

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Dog Faced Hermans - Kinetic Strategy (1987-1994)

 

Dog Faced Hermans were a post-punk band that formed in Scotland in the mid 1980s and remained active through the mid 1990s. They emerged from the UK anarcho-punk scene with a guitar/bass/drums line-up, but also incorporated trumpet and other instruments not commonly found in punk music at that time. Their composition style incorporated many genres of music outside of rock, including folk, jazz, ambient and noise music with often unorthodox instrumentation.

Click here for full bio.

I was a bit of a latecomer to the wonders of Dog Faced Hermans. I was aware of them at the time they were active, but stupidly dismissed them for having a "silly" band name! It wasn't until the mid 2000s I listened to them properly, and realised what an error I'd made... They've released 5 studio albums plus several live albums and a handful of singles. They also appear on numerous compilations, often with tracks unavailable elsewhere. If ever a band warranted a thorough anthology, DFH are one. It would be nice if all those hard to find tracks were reissued in some way or other, a bit like Stereolab have done with their "Switched On" compilations.

For this collection I've included tracks from all studio releases, plus some of those hard to find tracks, such as "Timebomb" which was only ever released on vinyl. With at least half a dozen really outstanding tracks on each album it was tough choosing which tracks to leave out. If I were to compile this in a few months time it would probably have an entirely different tracklisting. 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.

  1. Fortune (4:22)
  2. The Hook and the Wire (2:36)
  3. Scottish Block (3:59)
  4. Keep Your Laws/Off My Body (5:17)
  5. Mary Houdini (1:50)
  6. Catbrain Walk (5:33)
  7. The Running Man (4:04)
  8. Beautiful (6:10)
  9. Miss O'Grady (3:29)
10. White Indians (2:00)
11. Human Spark (4:46)
12. Zig Zag Wanderer (3:42)
13. Timebomb (5:06)
14. Bhopal (3:30)
15. Frock (3:14)
16. Love Is the Heart of Everything (6:06)
17. New Year (4:41)
18. Virginia Fur (5:56)
19. Bella Ciao (3:53)
20. El Doggo Speaks (8:31)

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Savage Republic - Figures of Considerable Repute (1982-2014)

 

Short bio:
Savage Republic is an American, Los Angeles-based post-punk band, formed in the early 1980s. The group reformed in 2002 and remains active with a different lineup. They are known for lengthy songs with an emphasis on percussion and droning guitars.

The band was originally named Africa Corps, and was formed by UCLA students Bruce Licher (guitar) and Mark Erskine (drums/percussion). They were joined by Philip Drucker (aka Jackson Del Rey), Robert Loveless, and Jeff Long. Shortly before the release of debut album "Tragic Figures" in 1982 they changed their name to Savage Republic. The group split up towards the end of 1983 with a second album partially completed. The band returned in 1985 with the album "Ceremonial", and the "Trudge" EP. Brad Laner joined prior to the 1988 album "Jamahiriya Democratique et Populaire de Sauvage", and a further studio album "Customs" was released prior to the band splitting up in 1990.

Savage Republic reformed in 2002 with original member Licher and members from the mid-1980s including Greg Grunke, Thom Fuhrmann and Ethan Port, although Licher left after a first tour. The remaining members recorded the album "1938", released in 2007. In 2012 the group released "Varvakios", intended as a sequel of sorts to their 1989 album "Customs".  Their 7th studio album, "Aegean" was released in early 2014, and their most recent release "Meteora" came out in 2021. Click here for full bio.


My introduction to Savage Republic was in the late 80s when I bought their 2nd album "Ceremonial".  Taking a gamble, never having heard them before,  it was going very cheap 2nd hand, only costing me £2. This was the original version which had vocals on most tracks, later versions of the album removed those vocals. In 2006 they brought out a special version of the album, titled "Ceremonial: Vocals and Studio Outtakes" which had many versions of most songs including remixes. I didn't mind the vocal version too much, but can understand why they removed them for further reissues. After buying "Customs", that seemed to be it for the band, which seemed a shame as I'd rather enjoyed all their albums up to that point. So I was pleasantly surprised when they reformed, finding their studio releases from 2007 onwards just as good as their earlier output.

There has already been a compilation of this band, released in 2010, titled "Procession: An Aural History 1981-2010", which also included a live recording from 2010. Definitely worth checking out, but like most band compilations I found a few particular favourites of mine weren't included, so decided to rectify that! For this collection I've taken 2 tracks each from their studio albums, up until 2014's "Aegean", plus a few EP/single tracks.

2 particular albums I'd recommend are "Ceremonial" (the instrumental version) from their earlier years, and their comeback album "1938" which is probably my favourite release by the band. 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.

01. Trudge (7:13)
02. Dionysious (2:45)
03. Pios Den Mila Yia Ti Lambri (3:43)
04. When All Else Fails... (3:03)
05. Film Noir (3:26)
06. The Birds of Pork (6:23)
07. Song for Rikki (4:16)
08. Omonoia (4:34)
09. Sparta (4:43)
10. Next to Nothing (3:21)
11. Year of Exile (9:26)
12. Moujahadeen (3:24)
13. Mapia (4:47)
14. Mobilization (3:18)
15. Siege (4:20)
16. Hippodrome (4:20)
17. Aegean (7:07)
18. Taranto!!! (3:14)
19. Caravan (17:03)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 76

  1. Mikrokosmos - Rest Be Forever (3:17)
  2. Neotropic - 30,000 Medics (4:42)
  3. Mekons - The Flood (4:50)
  4. Diagonal - Snail (3:32)
  5. Aunt Sally - Kagami (1:48)
  6. Krzysztof Klenczon i Trzy Korony - Spotkanie z Diablem (2:37)
  7. Euphoria - Young Miss Pflugg (3:02)
  8. Mount Koya - Tectonic (5:22)
  9. Pink Fairies - Heavenly Man (3:38)
10. Steve Gunn - Street Keeper (5:39)
11. Les Trois Etrangers - Luna (1:55)
12. Regal Worm - The Inner Vacuum (3:02)
13. Saloon - Kaspian (4:24)
14. Sourdure - Tota Perta (3:40)
15. Vincent Geminiani - Titania (3:03)
16. Robert Lester Folsom - Ginger (2:44)
17. Hashshashin - Ascension (4:07)
18. Chronophage - Any Junkyard Dreams (2:50)
19. Jürgen Franke - Distant Voices (2:36)
20. The Kings of Frog Island - Blackened Soul (3:44)
21. Uay - La Carretera (9:18)

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21st Century Psychedelia - Volume 1 (Updated)

 

Before I continue with new mixes here's a blast from the past. Originally compiled 11 years ago this first appeared on my blog HERE. I always meant to upgrade this to FLAC as well as just mp3, and finally here it is. The original mix was what I now consider a little bit sloppy, regarding tags and the quality of the music, so I hope you enjoy this much improved version. Cheers!

  1. Darker My Love - Wake (1:05)
  2. Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Silvermoon (5:14)
  3. The Asteroid #4 - Outside (4:10)
  4. Amazing Baby - The Narwhal (4:17)
  5. Caribou - Eli (2:59)
  6. Spotlight Kid - There's a Reason Why (4:15)
  7. Boris with Michio Kurihara - Fuzzy Reactor (3:40)
  8. The Skygreen Leopards - Hobo Sparrow's Dream (2:56)
  9. Sic Alps - Gelly Roll Gum Drop (3:15)
10. Dragontears - Masters of War (5:09)
11. The Diamond Center - Dos Fridas (3:49)
12. Moonspeed - Open Gates (3:13)
13. Bipolaroid - Transparent Make-Believe (4:26)
14. Strangers Family Band - Strange Transmission (6:59)
15. Lower Heaven - A Frame in Time (4:55)
16. The Lava Children - The Green Word (5:14)
17. Juan Trip' - Dirty Party (2:50)
18. Voice of the Seven Thunders - Kommune (3:24)
19. Sula Bassana and The Nasoni Pop Art Experimental Band - Daydreams (5:54)

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Best of 2021 mix - Volume 3

 

My final compilaton featuring more of my favourite albums/singles/EPs from the past year. This one has a few more tracks than originally intended, coming in at almost 2 hours long, but I hope you enjoy my selections. Pandemic or not, 2021 really has been quite special for new music, so I'm looking forward to what 2022 brings us. I've already heard a couple of excellent releases this year, tracks from which will most probably feature on my blog in the near future. I'll post another volume of Spaghetti Tree at the end of this month, and then start looking at making more artist anthologies, I have several on my shortlist. Once again happy new year to you all, keep enjoying new (and old) music, and most importantly stay safe!

 

  1. Smoke Bellow - Hannan (4:09)
  2. Françoiz Breut - Vicky (3:04)
  3. 62 Miles From Space - Sentinel (3:41)
  4. Beige Banquet - Cicada (5:52)
  5. Blaise & Nico - Dimanche Soir Chez Fé (3:19)
  6. Glass Beams - Taurus (4:31)
  7. Rose City Band - Feel of Love (4:35)
  8. Hanford Flyover - Golden (4:50)
  9. The Small Breed - To Another Land (3:14)
10. Dr. Pete Larson and his Cytotoxic Nyatiti Band - Korona (4:21)
11. Grave Flowers Bongo Band - Sleepy Eyes (3:11)
12. Meatbodies - Let Go (333) (3:16)
13. Tacsidermi & Sister Wives - A Oes Heddwch (2:39)
14. LUMP - Paradise (4:33)
15. Klapper - Success (1:57)
16. Hassan K. - Haqq Al-Yaqîn (2:54)
17. Gavin Preller - Sometime (3:05)
18. La Era de Acuario - Etéreo (3:52)
19. Polite Society - Pudding Plains (6:50)
20. Snapped Ankles - Undilated Lovers (3:39)
21. Damien Jurado - Tom (3:18)
22. Mega Bog - Flower (2:35)
23. Jaromil Sabor - Lucky Stone (2:01)
24. Teke::Teke - Kaminari (4:00)
25. David Lance Callahan - Always (4:29)
26. Laure Briard - Supertrama (3:14)
27. Nice Biscuit - Sweet Surrender (6:07)
28. Rural Tapes - Pardon My French (4:24)
29. Caoilfhionn Rose - Paths (3:32)
30. King Buffalo - Locusts (6:27)

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Manerg's Beş of 2021 - Volume Two

 

 

Here's Manerg's final selection of favourites from 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed compiling this 2nd volume, I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as I did. I will post my 3rd and final volume of highlights from the past year this weekend, and after that it will be back to "normal". As usual, info containing origin of each track is tagged in the music files and in the download file.

 

  1. El Michels Affair - Dhuaan (4:04)
  2. Kit Sebastian - Rain (2:43)
  3. Evolfo - Broken Hills (2:47)
  4. Jorge Elbrecht - The Clouds are Gone (3:22)
  5. Chantal Acda - Disappear (6:55)
  6. Chet Sounds - Off the Beaten Track (3:11)
  7. Ryley Walker - Pond Scum Ocean (7:07)
  8. Stealing Sheep & The Radiophonic Workshop - The Free Oms (3:53)
  9. Jaubi - Insia (5:14)
10. Richard Dawson & Circle - Ivy (8:52)
11. Orchestre tout puissant Marcel Duchamp - Flux (4:57)
12. Squid - Narrator ft. Martha Skye Murphy (8:29)
13. Grasscut - Windfarm (4:38)
14. Matt Berry - Story Told (2:31)
15. James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra - To Soothe Her Wee Bit Sorrows (7:26)
16. Soccer96 - Sitting on a Satellite feat. Salami Rose Joe Louis (4:04)
17. Black Country, New Road - Athens, France (6:22)
18. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Prix Fixe (4:50)
19. Ghosts of Jupiter - Northern Road (3:13)
20. Vanille - Solstice (5:12)
21. Tonstartssbandht - Pass Away (7:46)
22. Cobalt Chapel - It's the End, the End (5:26)

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