Musicologist Mix Volume 1

 

Several years ago a music site I am a member of asked me to be a "musicologist", which required me to recommend/upload 1 album every 4 or 5 weeks to share with other members. My criteria for this would be: albums by artists who never got the recognition they deserved; albums which were unlike anything an artist/band ever recorded before or after (hello The Four Seasons!); albums that sparked my interest in genres of music I'd never really explored before; and finally, albums that just happen to be amongst my all time favourites!

The tracks on these mixes are in the order of the albums I picked. I decided to end my time as a musicologist after my 50th pick. The full list can be seen here. Volumes 2 and 3 will appear in the next couple of days.

On a personal note, in these perilous times, I hope all of you out there are keeping safe and well. It all seems rather surreal, we can only hope things get back to as near as normal as soon as possible. Take care everyone.

  1. The Dream Syndicate - Definitely Clean (3:30)

  2. This Heat - Independence (3:39)
  3. Shack - Time Machine (4:49)
  4. Euphoria - Docker's Son (2:48)
  5. Leila - Don't Fall Asleep (3:25)
  6. The Moles - Tendrils and Paracetamol (6:40)
  7. Mary Lorson & Saint Low - Anything Can Happen (5:08)
  8. Jimmy Campbell - Closing Down the Shop (2:39)
  9. Bongwater - Obscene & Pornographic Art (3:19)
10. King Creosote - Home in a Sentence (2:58)
11. Nick Nicely - Hilly Fields (1892) (3:30)
12. Billy Nicholls - Girl From New York (3:18)
13. Cymande - Getting It Back (4:16)
14. The Chills - Doledrums (3:08)
15. The Four Seasons - Genuine Imitation Life (6:16)
16. Rufus Harley - Gods and Goddesses (5:44)
17. Josef K - Heart of Song (2:53)

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Mojave 3 - Resend to Turner

 

Mojave 3 formed from the ashes of celebrated shoegaze band Slowdive in 1995. Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Neil Halstead, bassist/vocalist Rachel Goswell, guitarist Simon Rowe, keyboard player Alan Forrester and drummer Ian McCutcheon, their first album "Ask Me Tomorrow" was released in 1996. In all they released 5 studio albums, their final album "Puzzles Like You" in 2006. This collection features 3 tracks from all 5 albums, plus 3 tracks from EP releases. 

According to wikipedia their musical style is described as: dream pop, indie rock, alternative country, folk. Well, there's certainly elements of all those genres on their albums, their first probably more alternative country than anything else, sounding quite similar to Mazzy Star. For me their greatest album was their 2nd, "Out of Tune", released in 1998. A huge leap forward from their first release in both quality of songs and sound. 

As much as I was a fan of Slowdive, especially the album Souvlaki, over the years I've found listening to the back catalogue of Mojave 3 a much more satisfying experience. Compiling these tracks was again a difficult task, I could have picked 3 completely different tracks from each album and it would still be a fine collection of their work. After the demise of Mojave 3, Halstead went on to form the short-lived band Black Hearted Brothers, releasing one album in 2013. The following year Slowdive reformed and released a new album in 2017, which I found a somewhat disappointing experience to listen to, though it did include (for me) a couple of outstanding tracks. 

I doubt if Mojave 3 will ever reform, but they've left a fine legacy and perhaps it's better if they left it that way. Personally I'd like to see more solo albums by Halstead, he released three between 2001 and 2012, his debut "Sleeping on Roads" for me one of the outstanding albums of that year. Maybe one day I'll post a Halstead anthology.

Huge thanks to Manerg for this project. It was he who suggested in the first place doing a Mojave 3 collection, also providing the title of this anthology as well as finding the excellent cover art. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Enjoy!

  1. Give What You Take (4:25)
  2. Starlite #1 (4:54)
  3. Love Songs on the Radio (5:45)
  4. Any Day Will Be Fine (3:22)
  5. Big Star Baby (4:19)
  6. Yer Feet (4:13)
  7. Between Us (6:58)
  8. Star in the Sky (3:58)
  9. After All (3:30)
10. Bringin' Me Home (3:49)
11. Ghostship Waiting (3:05)
12. Battle of the Broken Hearts (6:38)
13. This Road I'm Travelling (5:31)
14. Return to Sender (4:42)
15. All Your Tears (4:36)
16. Running With Your Eyes Closed (2:10)
17. Hard to Miss You (2:50)
18. Mercy (4:56)

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Colorama - Candy Street

 

Colorama were formed in 2007 by Welsh singer-songwriter, music producer and multi-instrumentalist Carwyn Ellis. The line-up varies frequently, both in the studio and on stage. They have released 6 full albums, 2 mini-albums and a number of EPs/singles between 2008 and 2017. A compilation of of all of Ellis's Welsh songs as Colorama, entitled "Dere Mewn!" was released in 2014.

Musically, they cover many styles, on wikipedia they've been described as "dream pop, acid folk, psychedelic rock, baroque pop, fuzz-soul and electropop." Also, according to wiki, they've been compared to: The Clientele, Caravan, Harpers Bizarre, Vetiver, Fred Neil, The Kinks, Harry Nilsson, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Beck, Steely Dan, Espers, The Free Design, The Left Banke, John Barry and Bagpuss.
More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorama_(band)

Conceived, compiled and completed within 2 days, this has been one of the more enjoyable, easiest and quickest to compile. Like Elf Power, I recommend all of their albums, my favourite is probably "Good Music" from 2012. It's now been 3 years since their last release, hopefully something new by them will arrive in the not too distant future. Info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy!

  1. Sound (4:00)
  2. Too Much Data (3:03)
  3. Woe Is Me (3:12)
  4. Llyfr Lliwio (2:32)
  5. Some Things Just Take Time (2:55)
  6. Worried Man (5:13)
  7. Mari Lwyd (4:15)
  8. Autumnal (4:11)
  9. Winner (3:53)
10. Forget Tomorrow (3:11)
11. In Bangor Marina (3:03)
12. Stations in the Sky (4:49)
13. Kerro (3:50)
14. Good Music (3:18)
15. Candy Street (2:42)
16. V Moyn T (3:13)
17. A Girl With No Name (3:04)
18. Special Way (2:47)
19. Thing (7:03)
20. Box (3:43)
21. Delaware (4:59)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 54

 

  1. Townes Van Zandt - Dream Spider (1:55)

  2. Slowness - Rose (4:56)
  3. Gil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven - Me and the Devil (4:47)
  4. Dry Cleaning - Sit Down Meal (3:43)
  5. Mellow Candle - Buy or Beware (3:03)
  6. Issam Hajali - Intazirne (3:11)
  7. Gary Pacific Orchestra - Soft Wind (2:04)
  8. Loma - Dark Oscillations (5:35)
  9. Isobel Campbell - Counting Fireflies (3:32)
10. Donovan - Appearances (3:38)
11. Cornershop - One Uncareful Lady Owner (3:51)
12. Kaleta & Super Yamba Band - Goyitò (4:21)
13. The Tea Set - Flaccid Pot (3:50)
14. Arthur Russell - Everybody Everybody (2:46)
15. Kongar-ol Ondar - Dürgen Chugaa (Fast Talk) (1:33)
16. Spoonfed Hybrid - Make a Fist (2:33)
17. Jono El Grande - Abiding Swansong (4:00)
18. Bob Lind - How Dare You Love Me (3:47)
19. Salami Rose Joe Louis - Love the Sun (2:29)
20. The NoMen - Suzi Quatro's Boots (1:19)
21. The Tower - Captain Decker (4:27)
22. Pescado Rabioso - A Starosta, El Idiota (3:14)
23. Françoise Hardy - Viens (2:12)
24. Hayvanlar Alemi - Hadron Collider Twist (2:53)

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Elf Power - Gorging on the Elf Power

Elf Power formed in Athens, Georgia, United States in 1994. Currently, the line-up consists of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger, keyboardist Laura Carter, guitarist Dave Wrathgabar, bassist Matthew Garrison, and drummer Peter Alvanos. They are part of the Elephant Six Collective. So far they have released 13 studio albums, starting with "Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs" in 1995 (recorded 1994), their most recent, "Twitching in Time", was released in 2017. Their 10th album, "Dark Developments", was a collaboration with Vic Chesnutt & the Amorphous Strums.

Compiling a "best" of Elf Power in my opinion would be an almost impossible task, and be at least 4 CDs in length! This collection is just a few favourites from 12 of their studio albums. I decided against including any tracks from the Chesnutt collaboration, as he wrote all the tracks and sang lead vocal, I see it more as a Chesnutt than Elf Power release. It's tough to recommend any particular album over another, as I like all of their releases, but if I was pushed to name my favourite 3 by them they'd be: "A Dream in Sound", released in 1999, "Creatures" in 2002 and "Back to the Web" in 2006.

Thanks to Manerg who suggested a few songs for inclusion, and finding the excellent artwork for this collection. As usual info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy!

  1. The Well (3:25)
  2. Things That Should Not Be (2:46)
  3. You're Never Gonna Go to Heaven (1:59)
  4. Rolling Black Water (2:32)
  5. Walking With the Beggar Boys (2:50)
  6. Temporary Arm (2:18)
  7. Shadows in Vain (2:55)
  8. The Frightened Singers (0:43)
  9. Leopard's Teeth (3:28)
10. Heads of Dust, Hearts of Lust (1:44)
11. Little Black Holes (3:04)
12. Halloween Out Walking (2:46)
13. Total Annihilation (3:31)
14. Needles in the Camels Eyes (3:04)
15. Three Seeds (2:44)
16. All the Passengers (2:06)
17. Back to the Web (3:32)
18. Don't Let It Be (2:41)
19. Birds in the Backyard (2:32)
20. A Tired Army (2:26)
21. Drug Store (1:39)
22. Pay to Cum (1:40)
23. Carnival (0:51)
24. Watery Shreds (2:55)
25. An Old Familiar Scene (4:11)
26. Wander Through (1:59)
27. Everlasting Scream (1:59)
28. The Cracks (2:58)
29. Spectators (2:17)
30. Nothing's Going to Happen (5:39)

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A Collection of Oddities - Volume 3

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 53

 

After the previous volume which was dedicated to the 60s & 70s, back to normal for this one. A wide selection of (mostly) obscure music spanning every decade from the 60s to the present day, though this volume leans heavily towards psychedelia. Not much of a surprise there I guess!

Thanks again to Sarah who's online photos I will be using for artwork on the current batch of Spaghetti Tree volumes. Also thanks to Manerg who's bandcamp wishlist I found quite influential in some of the artists featured on this volume. Info on each track provided in download file.

  1. The Boo Radleys - I Will Always Ask You Where You've Been Even Though I Know the Answer (3:04)

  2. The Dandelion Set - Pristina Strawberry Girl (2:23)
  3. Richard in Your Mind - All I Can Do (3:30)
  4. The Future Eve featuring Robert Wyatt - 04.08 (2:49)
  5. The Galaxy Electric - Calm Down (3:38)
  6. Edu Passeto & Gui Tavares - Herói de Jornal (2:20)
  7. Gravenhurst - The Velvet Cell (5:00)
  8. Robyn Hitchcock & Andy Partridge - Turn Me On, Deadman (3:34)
  9. Pilot - Auntie Iris (1:48)
10. Testbild! - Vita Staden (4:53)
11. Forever Pavot - Ça Lance (3:16)
12. The Paupers - Black Thank You Package (3:08)
13. Syd Barrett - Golden Hair (Take 5) (2:13)
14. Here and Now - Seventies Youth (4:57)
15. Choo Choo Train - Happy Bicycle (2:55)
16. Fred Lane & His Hittite Hotshots - The Man With the Foldback Ears (2:48)
17. Roy Wood - Wake Up (3:20)
18. Humphreys & Keen - You Too (3:48)
19. Svitlana Nianio - Episode 6 (3:09)
20. Los Destellos - Boogaloo del Perro (3:28)
21. Frown Pow'r - Keep the Bores at Bay (2:39)
22. Maud Octallinn - La Souplesse (2:41)
23. The New Lines - A Solitary Congress (3:50)
24. Super Furry Animals - Venus & Serena (3:24)

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Come My Way: The Best of St. Thomas

 

St. Thomas was the name used by Norwegian folk/alt.country musician Thomas Hansen. He died tragically young in 2007 at the age of 31. He'd taken a combination of drugs, some prescribed, some not, and it seems probable he arrived at his death through an unlucky and unintended combination of the two.  His mental problems had been well-known for several years, something of which he had openly expressed both from stage and in interviews. In his lifetime he released 6 studio albums and one live album. A posthumous album, titled "A Mouse in a Crowded House", consisting of demos recorded shortly before his death, was released in 2016.

The first time I heard St. Thomas was on one of the compilation CDs released by Uncut magazine, back in 2002. The track featured, "Oh I Have Left the Ground", was quite similar to the early/mid '70s recordings of Neil Young, a period of Young I find the most compelling, so I purchased the album it came from soon after. I was also luckily able to see him perform live on stage a couple of times in 2002/2003. 

For this compilation I've picked songs from all studio albums released when he was alive, plus a couple of EPs, and a track he contributed to a Lee Hazlewood tribute album. I decided not to include anything from the posthumous release, to me it's quite obvious most of these songs were nowhere near the finished article and should never have been released. Also missing are any tracks from the "Live in Europe" album, the first draft of this comp did include 3 tracks but I felt they sat uncomfortably with the studio recordings so I removed.

Lastly, thanks to the lovely Sarah who offered some advice/a song suggestion during the making of this compilation. More information about St. Thomas can be found here & here. Info about origin of each track included in download file. Enjoy!

  1. Mysterious Walks (2:39)
  2. Dance to the Disco (4:01)
  3. Twisted Cowboy (3:01)
  4. Oh I Have Left the Ground (3:27)
  5. Ride (3:24)
  6. Be Cool Be Nice (3:23)
  7. Into Your Deep (3:39)
  8. An Artist With a Brilliant Disguise (3:55)
  9. The Mexican Father (3:05)
10. The Railroad (2:53)
11. The Charity Ego (3:23)
12. She Married a Cowboy (3:26)
13. The Present (2:37)
14. People in the Forest (2:45)
15. Sheer Wonder (3:29)
16. Like You Know (3:14)
17. Sugarmilk Coffee (1:56)
18. Strangers Out of Blue (4:06)
19. Falling Down (3:21)
20. The Play (2:42)
21. What Have I Done (2:56)
22. Thinking (2:40)
23. A Long Long Time (3:11)
24. Like the Byrds (3:36)
25. Come My Way (2:58)

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What the Folk is Going On? (updated)

Thanks to a comment from Nihil Yung/Andy, it came to my attention that one of my earliest compilations, posted here, was in mp3 format only, so here's the "rejigged" version in FLAC and mp3. I've also tweaked the cover somewhat, but I've left the original cover in the download files so you can choose which one you prefer. 

  1. Fresh Maggots - Rosemary Hill (3:34)
  2. Comus - Diana (4:34)
  3. Robin Scott - The Sound of Rain (4:26)
  4. Mellow Candle - The Poet and the Witch (2:51)
  5. Subway - All the Good Things (3:54)
  6. The Pentangle - Sally Go Round the Roses (3:35)
  7. Karen Dalton - Something on Your Mind (3:22)
  8. Ora - Seashore (2:50)

  9. Fuchsia - The Nothing Song (8:24)
10. Wizz Jones - Dazzling Stranger (3:03)
11. Spirogyra - The Future Won't Be Long (4:18)
12. Judy Henske & Jerry Yester - Raider (5:12)
13. Alan Hull - United States of Mind (3:05)
14. Gordon Jackson - Song for Freedom (4:49)
15. Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - Jusqu'a Ce Que la Force de T'aimer Me Manque (2:58)
16. Montreal - What About the Wind? (2:26)
17. Fraser & DeBolt - David's Tune (3:24)
18. Jade - Mayfly (3:33)
19. Oriental Sunshine - Across Your Life (3:28)
20. Ithaca - Journey (4:59)

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Mashing Mole: The Best of Richard Davies [featuring The Moles & Cardinal)

 

How to describe the genius that is Richard Davies...? I'll try to keep it brief!

I've been a fan of his work ever since picking up the 12" single by his first band The Moles, "Tendrils and Paracetamol" back in 1991. To say I was stunned with the inventiveness of this 4 track EP would be an understatement. Keen to hear more, soon after they released on CD the album "Untune the Sky", which was originally released on vinyl as a mini-album. The CD included the 4 tracks from that EP, but tracks available on the vinyl and CD versions differed somewhat, which was frustrating. Thankfully the CD reissue of the album in 1999 included tracks from both releases of the album plus the "Tendrils" EP and 3 tracks from a self-titled EP released in 1992.

After recording a Peel session (which apparently Peel didn't like!) in 1992, everything went a bit pear shaped and apart from Davies the rest of the band relocated back to Australia. Davies kept the band name to release in 1994 the rather interesting (and completely different sounding) "Instinct" album. The same year also saw him collaborate with Eric Matthews under the name of Cardinal, releasing their outstanding self-titled album which received much critical acclaim. Cardinal then split, it seemed Davies didn't have much luck regarding longevity of any band he was involved in. After this he released 3 excellent solo albums between 1996 and 2000, and then silence... 

Silence for several years and I thought that was it, we'd never hear from him again. But, in the year 2009 he teamed up with Robert Pollard to record the album "Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks" under the name of Cosmos, though the majority of the album Pollard sang lead vocals. This was a short-lived affair, but thankfully we didn't have to wait too long as Davies got back together with Eric Matthews in 2012 to record a second Cardinal album, "Hymns". While this album wasn't celebrated as much as their debut, it's still full of fine songs of which many would have sat comfortably on that first album. Again this collaboration was a short-lived affair, and we had more silence from Davies until in 2016 he 'reformed' The Moles to record the album "Tonight's Music". This was met with indifference by many who wanted to hear The Moles of old, but even though the album is a bit of a mess as a whole (plus way too long), there is an excellent album hiding in there! 2 years later saw another Moles album, "Code Word", which was rather more consistent than the previous release, I'd go as far as saying it's amongst his best work.

I didn't mean to go on so much about Davies but he's had quite a varied and complicated musical career over the years! For the purpose of this anthology I decided to include 2 tracks from each of the albums mentioned above, apart from Cosmos which I see more as a Pollard album, plus a rare solo single (track 19). It was really tough debating which songs to include, but I felt I had to start and end the mix with 2 tracks from the "Tendrils" EP, my introduction to his work. 

Hopefully you'll enjoy his songs as much as I have the past (almost) 30 years. I recommend every album he has recorded, but for beginners I believe you should seek out the fine collection of early Moles recordings titled "Flashbacks and Dream Sequences", released in 2014.

Finally, a big thanks yet again to Manerg who provided the rather excellent title for this mix, plus his help with the cover artwork.

  1. The Moles - This Is a Happy Garden (4:56)
  2. Richard Davies - Cantina (4:18)
  3. The Moles - Already in Black (2:11)
  4. Cardinal - If You Believe in Christmas Trees (3:56)
  5. Richard Davies - Why Not Bomb the Movies? (2:51)
  6. The Moles - Beauty Queen of Watts (2:24)
  7. The Moles - What If? (4:15)
  8. The Moles - Surf's Up (4:02)
  9. Richard Davies - Coldest Day (3:36)
10. Cardinal - Carbolic Smoke Ball (3:27)
11. Richard Davies - Main Street Electrical Parade (3:21)
12. The Moles - Raymond, Did You See the Red Queen? (3:31)
13. The Moles - Going Down (2:26)
14. Richard Davies - Chips Rafferty (3:17)
15. Cardinal - Silver Machines (3:53)
16. The Moles - Bury Me Happy (3:02)
17. The Moles - Damien Lovelock (1:06)
18. Richard Davies - Stars (3:10)
19. Richard Davies - Cooper Rediscovered Radials (3:30)
20. Cardinal - Kal (4:52)
21. The Moles - Richard Davies 6.0 (4:05)
22. The Moles - Tendrils and Paracetamol (6:41)

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