Labradford - Accelerating on a Smoother Road [1993-2001]

 

Bio:
Founded in 1991, Labradford consists of bassist Robert Donne, guitarist/vocalist Mark Nelson, and keyboardist Carter Brown. Their music style is experimental ambient and post-rock, although their first releases were much more related to dark drone rock.

An early press release compared them to: Neu, F/i, Spacemen3, Gate, Dead C. & Jim O'Rourke. Their first full-length album, "Prazision LP", was released by Kranky in 1993. By their third full-length album, the eponymous release of 1996, Labradford began to infuse their music with sampled and real time percussion traces, at times faintly delving into actual syncopation. By 1997, the group broadened and varied their sound with their fourth release. On "Mi Media Naranja", the group maintained their distinctive identity, adding a string section, Fender Rhodes electric piano and slide guitar to the trio's sound bank.

1999's release, "E Luxo So" features contributions from a string quartet as well as a guest on dulcimer. Subtle blips of percussion and samples interweave through blurry guitars, bubbly electric piano and plangent organ and some gorgeous piano. In 2001, the band released their sixth album, "Fixed::Context", recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago and engineered by Steve Albini. This album found the trio stripping off the string trios of the last two albums and working with interlocking sound sources and modifiers; Carter Brown's vintage synthesizers, organs and electric piano; the distinctive Duane Eddy plays Satie guitar of Mark Nelson and Bobby Donne's four and six string basses. Though the group has not officially disbanded, they have not released another album since.


Won't say too much here, don't want to bore you with my witterings! I've never been a big fan of drone/ambient music but I've enjoyed listening to Labradford since I bought their first album back in 1993. I subsequently bought all their following albums on release, even managed to see them play live back in 2000, and still listen to them quite frequently even though it's been several years since their last album. Favourite album? That would be their self-titled from 1996, which also includes my favourite song by them, "Pico". "E Luxo So" comes a close 2nd though.
For this collection I've featured my 2 favourite tracks from all 6 studio albums, plus a compilation track and a b-side single. As usual, origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy!


  1. Accelerating on a Smoother Road (4:12)
  2. V (6:24)
  3. Comfort (6:12)
  4. With John Morand and Assisted by Brian Hoffa. (5:34)
  5. Pico (5:46)
  6. Up to Pizmo (6:15)
  7. Balanced on It's Own Flame (4:01)
  8. S (6:14)
  9. The Window (4:31)
10. Leta O'Steen. Design Assistance by John Piper. (7:41)
11. C. of People (4:52)
12. Columna de la Independencia (4:28)
13. Scenic Recovery (4:50)
14. David (6:35)

 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

Group 1850 - Dream of the Future

 

Short bio:
Group 1850 was a psychedelic rock band from the Netherlands, considered by many to be one of the finest acid rock acts Europe has ever produced. The band was founded in 1964 in Hague, using the name Klits, renaming themselves Group 1850 in 1966 when their debut single, "Misty Night/Look Around", appeared on the tiny Yep label. Though few copies were pressed, it established them as one of Holland's most original bands (alongside the Outsiders and Q65) and they soon signed to Philips. More singles ensued, in a highly psychedelic vein, including the brilliant "Mother No-Head".

Their debut album, "Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth", appeared in late 1968. The album's concept is incomprehensible, but its superb songs and musicianship have ensured its lasting cult reputation, and it has been called one of the most truly psychedelic albums ever recorded. A UK release did not help the band gain a footing outside Holland, and Philips dropped them soon afterwards. Their next album, 1969's "Paradise Now", appeared on the Dutch Discofoon label in 1969 and was only marginally less acid-influenced than its predecessor. The band were sporadically active through the 1970s, especially notable were another excellent single, 1971's "Fire/Have You Ever Heard", and  the largely instrumental album "Polyandri" in 1975.


My introduction to Group 1850 was the track "Mother No-Head", one of the stand out tracks which appeared on the compilation album "The Rubble Collection 5" released in the early 90s. I heard nothing else by the band until I bought the reissue of their first album on CD, which came out on the Pseudonym label in 1997. Not really knowing what to expect, I wasn't too impressed by the first couple of tracks (I'm still not a great fan of those 2 songs which is why they don't appear on this anthology) but the rest of the album is mostly excellent. I say mostly because track 3, the 13+ minutes of "I Put My Hands on Your Shoulder" was partially ruined (for me) by the 5 minutes of spoken word/phased drum solo in the middle of the song. I've taken the step of removing that part from the song, which I'm sure some of you will find quite unforgiveable! Sorry, but I prefer my edited version.

The bio states that "Agemo's..." is "one of the most truly psychedelic albums ever recorded". Not sure about that statement, I can think of several other albums from the 1960s that are more "truly" psychedelic. Personally, I think the 2 albums afterwards are better, "Paradise Now" has no weak tracks whatsoever so it was tough choosing which tracks to include here. "Polyandri" saw the band evolving into a more progressive rock sound, but for me has a couple of weak tracks. A shame this was their final studio album, it would've been interesting to hear how much further they would have evolved with future releases.

All of the tracks featured here can be found on the excellent 8 CD box set "Purple Sky: The Complete Works and More" which was released in 2019. As well as the 3 studio albums it also incudes 2 live albums, plus 2 CDs which features all of their singles plus various demo recordings & outtakes. An added bonus is the solo album recorded by Peter Sjardin recorded in 1969 but not released until 1982. As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy!


  1. Mother No-Head (3:24)
  2. Frozen Mind (3:38)
  3. Refound (3:04)
  4. ?! (6:55)
  5. Fire (2:28)
  6. Pumping Up the Rubber Trees (3:11)
  7. You Did It Too Hard (2:10)
  8. Sun Is Coming (So We're Calling You) (2:59)
  9. I Know (La Pensee) (3:10)
10. Hunger (4:55)
11. Dream of the Future (2:32)
12. Cages (5:17)
13. Zero (3:28)
14. Reborn (3:04)
15. Lonelyness (2:01)
16. We Love Life (Like We Love You) (4:27)
17. Silver Earring (4:10)
18. Have You Ever Heard (3:33)
19. I Put My Hands on Your Shoulder [short version] (7:32)
20. Friday I'm Free (2:52)
21. Thousand Years Before (4:31)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 87

 

  1. The Hologram People - Theme from Village of the Snake God (2:51)
  2. En Attendant Ana - Same Old Story (2:36)
  3. Sunnsetter - Surely Everything's Alright (3:28)
  4. Lee Hazlewood - Poet, Fool or Bum (3:19)
  5. Maiden's Leap - Don't Warn Me Again About This Disc (2:34)
  6. Syd Dale - Knock on Wood (2:44)
  7. Kim Jung Mi - Wind (3:16)
  8. Motorpsycho - Spin, Spin, Spin (4:05)
  9. The Early Years - Nocturne (5:24)
10. The Owl Service - To the Anti-Gallican (5:46)
11. Wild Butter - Come Fly With Me (3:19)
12. Syndrom Samazvanca - Promni (7:42)
13. Strawberry - On the Bottom (4:22)
14. Alex Chilton - Hey! Little Child (3:42)
15. King Isxan - Disorientation / Getting Lost (4:52)
16. Stone Giants - A Year to the Day (3:29)
17. The Budapest Radio Orchestra - February (3:04)
18. Laure Briard - Ne Pas Trop Rester Bleue (2:35)
19. Hey Colossus - Dreamer Is Lying in State (3:26)
20. Super Numeri - The Babies (6:24)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

Bogshed - Four Twisted Misanthropes

 

Bio: Bogshed formed in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, England in 1984, initially as The Amazing Roy North Penis Band, and comprised Phil Hartley (vocals), Mike Bryson (bass), Mark McQuaid (guitar) and Tristan King (drums). They released two albums, two EPs and two singles before splitting up in 1987. Bogshed were noted for their caustic lyrics that reflected an "everyday lunacy" and their primitive Captain Beefheart influenced music, described in 2022 as "the musical equivalent of poisoning the water hole".

Not really sounding like anyone before or since, they had much in common with some of the bands on the Ron Johnson label. Bryson explained their approach to songwriting: "We start out being totally out of order and out of key and we turn things like that into a pop song. Most people try to do it the other way round."

Championed by John Peel, they recorded 5 sessions for his radio show between 1985 and 1987, and gained regular airplay. The uncompromising mix of angular guitar-led tunes and Hartley's energetic vocals (his stated aim was to sing like Doris Day!) meant that Peel's listeners either loved Bogshed or found them unpalatable.

Post Bogshed, Phil Hartley recorded a solo Peel Session in 1988. He died on 11 October 2006. Tris King went on to play with Jackdaw With Crowbar and later A Witness. He died of brain cancer on 21 December 2008. Mike Bryson recorded under the name of Forkeyes. A split mini-album 'Vier Mit Vier', with tracks by electronic musician Marcus H (Soiled) and Forkeyes was released in 2012 on Elm Lodge Records. He died in November 2022.

A boxset - Bog-Set - consisting of all their commercially released tracks plus Peel Sessions and various out-takes from Melodic Records was released in December 2022.

Click here for detailed history of the band.


Bogshed, Bog Shed or Bog-Shed? I guess it's all a matter of preference. For this anthology I've gone with Bogshed, feel free to change to whatever you prefer after downloading...
Bogshed were a rather odd band, and to be honest a band that didn't really excite me much the brief period they were in existence. I bought their debut EP "Let Them Eat Bogshed" (released in 1985) and their 2nd and final studio album "Brutal, released in 1987. I quickly forgot about them after embracing all the exciting music coming out on the (to name a few) Amphetamine Reptile, Shimmy Disc and Flying Nun labels. During my big vinyl purge of the early 90s I had no qualms about selling the 2 Bogshed releases I'd bought.

It wasn't until the late 2000's I realised my error about this band. More or less forgotten by me up until then, I came across a vinyl rip of their debut EP and downloaded to give it another listen. Woah! This was bloody awesome! WTF was I thinking getting rid of this EP? After this revelation I spent several years trying to find all their other releases. I did come across a couple of other vinyl rips, of "Brutal" and the Peel Sessions EP "Tried and Tested Public Speaker", unfortunately the vinyl was in poor condition and even worse they'd ripped them in mono! I still listened to them now and again, and despite the poor quality there were so many great songs bursting out at me.

I kept hoping one day that all their releases would be reissued, then read somewhere that Phil Hartley didn't want this to happen. As he'd unfortunately died in 2006 it appeared his wish would be kept and that would be that. You could find the odd bootleg online, or a release of early demos on bandcamp, but that was your lot! It seemed I'd be forever frustrated on ever hearing in decent quality their 2 albums and several EPs/singles...

Then came the news, late 2022, where I read this:
"Manchester based Melodic Records will be releasing in December the entire Bog Shed output. Titled, The Official Bog Set, the collection will include their debut EP, 2 albums, full John Peel Sessions and a live and rarities collection which will only be available with the physical product. The entire set has been audio remastered for the first time, with restored original artwork. The band’s genius wonk songs of angular, groove-filled post punk dusted with energetic and often hilarious lyrics were perfect dislocated pop and their dark humour imagery was like The League of Gentlemen twenty years ahead of its time."
I excitedly searched for where I could buy this box set, and pre-ordered a copy here: https://bog-shed.bandcamp.com/album/the-official-bog-set

For this anthology I put together a few of my favourite songs from the box set. While the 5th CD in the box set is interesting, I've only taken one track from it, "Runner on a Blunder", which was previously released on a compilation album in 1986. 2 tracks included here aren't on the box set: their version of Benny Hill's "Gather in the Mushrooms" (from one of the Peel sessions) was for some reason omitted, plus the final track "The Amazing Roy North's Penis Band" is from a half-decent quality bootleg recorded live in early 1985.

Enough rambling from me... As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy, cheers!

  1. Fat Lad Exam Failure (3:07)
  2. Hell Bent on Death (2:53)
  3. I'm the Instrument (4:08)
  4. C'mon Everybody (3:07)
  5. Duck Fight / US Bands / Wally Wallah (5:17)
  6. Summer in My Lunchtime (2:43)
  7. Excellent Girl! (3:19)
  8. Story of Bog-Shed (2:46)
  9. Raise the Girl (4:10)
10. Runner on a Blunder (3:09)
11. Panties Please (3:26)
12. Loaf (2:13)
13. Gather in the Mushrooms (2:26)
14. Morning Sir (2:40)
15. Hand Me Down Father (4:09)
16. Tried and Tested Public Speaker (2:17)
17. Six to One and Likely (3:52)
18. Can't Be Beat (3:11)
19. Uncle Death Grip (3:43)
20. Spencer Travis (1:54)
21. Opportunatist Knocks (2:43)
22. Your Science My Sound (6:00)
23. The Amazing Roy North's Penis Band (live) (4:45)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 86

 

  1. Mala Herba - Bandoska (2:50)
  2. Gold Dust - Go Gently (4:22)
  3. Louis Fontaine - Difetti Cristallini (3:37)
  4. Sparklehorse - King of Nails (4:16)
  5. The Ones - Lady Greengrass (2:38)
  6. Midwich Youth Club - Blueberry (3:42)
  7. Hooveriii - The Pearl (3:31)
  8. Ipek Yolu - Mustang (3:39)
  9. Midnight Rodeo - The Big Melt (4:14)
10. Mary Lorson & Billy Coté - Dig a Hole (5:08)
11. Billy Green - Amanda (3:45)
12. Canned Heat - Poor Moon (3:22)
13. Janko Nilovic & The Soul Surfers - Interlude (1:46)
14. Altin Gün - Rakiya Su Katamam (3:40)
15. Drum Circus - Now It Hurts You (2:44)
16. Forever Pavot - Au Diable (4:15)
17. Derek Stanley Austin - Brandy-S-Schnapps (2:38)
18. Jawbone - Jeremiah Dreams (5:44)
19. Monsieur Doumani - Koukkoufkiaos (5:37)
20. Villa Boas feat. Stella Chronopoulou - Tora (2:21)
21. Black Market Karma - Aping Flair (with Ruari Meehan) (5:29)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

Best of 2022 mix - Volume 2

 

 

Happy New Year! I decided, like with Manerg's excellent "2022 = 6" comp, to make this into one long compilation split into 2 parts. As usual info containing origin of each track is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Hope you enjoy!


Disc 1:
  1. Sherpa the Tiger - Bokeh (7:58)
  2. Robyn Hitchcock - The Sir Tommy Shovell (3:16)
  3. Terrapin Gun - Postcards from L.A. (2:45)
  4. Cosmic Analog Ensemble - Le Droit à L'Oubli (2:27)
  5. Melody's Echo Chamber - The Hypnotist (3:48)
  6. Abronia - Plant the Flag (3:45)
  7. Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals - A Long Long Time to Wait (3:00)
  8. Charif Megarbane - Commencer La-Bas (4:13)
  9. Elaine Howley - To the Test (3:15)
10. Vinyl Williams - Beaming (3:33)
11. Sprints - How Does the Story Go? (2:26)
12. Party Dozen - Balance (3:25)
13. The Soundcarriers - Happens Too Soon (4:28)
14. David Lance Callahan - Beautiful Laundrette (3:40)
15. The Lazy Eyes - The Seaside (6:38)
16. La Luz - San Fernando Shadow Blues (3:13)
17. Night Palace - Fig Dream (2:58)
18. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - No Body (3:42)
19. Holy Magick - The Death of Me (2:56)
20. Rural Tapes - Arkestra Piece for Hard-Working Ants (7:57)

Disc 2:
  1. Sister Wives - Baron Hill (3:56)
  2. King Buffalo - Hours (4:57)
  3. Bill Baird - XOXOXO (3:11)
  4. Wombo - Backflip (2:20)
  5. The Black Angels - Firefly (3:00)
  6. io audio recordings - Awaiting the Elliptical Drift (4:55)
  7. Midlake - Exile (3:31)
  8. Sharron Kraus - Do It Yourself (2:54)
  9. Seine - Automatsko Pisanje 2 (2:59)
10. Gilla Band - Post Ryan (4:24)
11. Derrero - High Side (2:38)
12. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - You Think I'm Joking? (3:56)
13. Half Man Half Biscuit - Big Man Up Front (2:50)
14. The Fernweh - Everybody Says They Love You (3:51)
15. Baby Cool - Magic (5:09)
16. Kikagaku Moyo - Dancing Blue (6:13)
17. Sarathy Korwar - Back in the Day, Things Were Not Always Simpler (5:07)
18. Tenchpress - Mallenders and Sallenders (3:14)
19. Boris Maurussane - Riverbank (3:13)
20. Mythic Sunship - Equinox (7:16)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

2022 = 6 (Yet another Monumental Manerg Mix)

 

Most probably my final post for the year, as promised here's a few of Manerg's favourites from 2022. Instead of having 2 volumes, this time around it's one big compilation. I really enjoyed compiling Manerg's selections, a few bands/albums featured which I need to investigate in the near future. As usual, info containing origin of each track is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy this excellent collection, and have a happy new year!

Disc 1:
  1. Oneida - Beat Me to the Punch (5:02)
  2. Ambassador Hazy - Gone to My Head (3:10)
  3. Gwenno - Anima (3:16)
  4. Sault - The Plan (2:17)
  5. Boris Maurussane - As the Crow Flies (4:47)
  6. Brian Eno - Who Gives a Thought (3:54)
  7. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Go On (4:44)
  8. Upupayama - Come Here, Noriko (5:49)
  9. Abronia - What We Can See (4:47)
10. Black Lips - Whips of Holly (3:08)
11. Sun's Signature - Apples (7:23)
12. Bill Baird - Slump City (4:13)
13. Project Gemini - June (3:29)
14. Citron Citron - La Nuit Galope (2:51)
15. Daniel Rossen - Shadow in the Frame (5:12)
16. The Black Angels - A Walk on the Outside (3:05)
17. Badge Époque Ensemble - All Same 2 Each, Each Same 2 All (5:20)

Disc 2:
  1. Hooveriii - Water Lily (2:45)
  2. Sproatly Smith - River Song #2 (2:45)
  3. Peel Dream Magazine - Pictionary (3:15)
  4. The Soundcarriers - Driver (4:55)
  5. Anna Mieke - For a Time (4:24)
  6. Beautify Junkyards - Verde Pino (4:39)
  7. Papercuts - Lodger (4:06)
  8. Elf Power - Floods (3:05)
  9. Richard Dawson - The Tip of an Arrow (10:02)
10. Large Plants - The Witch (3:51)
11. Heather Trost - The Devil Never Sleeps (4:22)
12. Sister Wives - Y Merch Werdd (4:53)
13. Wax Machine - Guardians of Eden (4:21)
14. Vinyl Williams - Saturnalia (3:35)
15. Pedro Salvador - O Algoritmo de Notícias Não Mostrará a Revolução (3:42)
16. Astrel K - Clicktivism (4:56)
17. The Orielles - Beam/s (7:53)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

Best of 2022 mix - Volume 1

 

Well, here we go again, time for this year's personal favourites of 2022. Due to work commitments unfortunately I've not been able to listen to as much new stuff as the previous few years, but still found plenty of excellent albums, though probably only enough for 2 volumes this year. Just one thing to add about my selections, each track I pick isn't neccessarily my favourite on each album, I usually go with how they'll fit on each mix.

My top 10 albums of the year...? Can't decide just yet but the albums by Gwenno, The Black Angels, The Cool Greenhouse and Gilla Band are definitely in there. After this 1st volume, as per usual I'll be posting Manerg's favourites this year, looking forward to hearing his selections. Hopefully that'll be posted before the year is out. So, Happy Christmas to all of you out there, and extra special thanks to everyone who has posted comments on the blog. Hope you enjoy this collection. Cheers!


  1. Ty Segall - Saturday Pt. 2 (4:06)
  2. The Cool Greenhouse - Musicians (5:27)
  3. Loop - Fermion (4:16)
  4. Gwenno - Kan Me (4:06)
  5. Nok Cultural Ensemble - Y.T.T.T. (5:03)
  6. Big Joanie - Insecure (3:17)
  7. Otoboke Beaver - Yakitori (1:44)
  8. Lalalar - Simülasyon Terk (4:15)
  9. O'o - Moon (3:17)
10. The Black Albumen - Tempters / Circle (5:47)
11. OCH - Silverstjärnan (4:57)
12. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Dread & Butter (2:53)
13. The Telephones - Arrow (4:18)
14. Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek - Odam Kireç Tutmuyor (3:42)
15. Pedro Salvador - As Novas Aventuras do Mercado-Deus (5:06)
16. Minami Deutsch - Grumpy Joa (5:29)
17. GIFT - Pez (4:42)
18. Badge Époque Ensemble - Conspiring with Nature (7:12)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3

 

21st Century Psychedelia - Volume 6

 

  1. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Ineffable Mindfuck (3:28)
  2. Upupayama - Entering the Time of Wilderness (3:02)
  3. MIEN - Earth Moon (5:35)
  4. Cool Ghouls - Smoke & Fire (3:05)
  5. Bhopal's Flowers - The Majestic Purple Sky (5:58)
  6. Les Big Byrd - Feels Like Wasting My Life Is Taking Forever (3:50)
  7. Los Mundos - El Espejo del Tiempo (2:23)
  8. Nice Biscuit - Passing Over (6:37)
  9. Hawkeyes - Look at 'em Scramble (5:39)
10. Elephant Stone - Harmonia (5:09)
11. Hypnotic Floor - Fall (11:13)
12. White Canyon & The 5th Dimension - As Above So Below (4:03)
13. Holy Magick - The Death of Me (2:56)
14. Dorotheo - Ahitar (3:45)
15. Goat - Chukua Pesa (2:24)
16. Marmalade Knives - Xayante (5:14)
17. New Candys - Vyvyan Rising (4:17)

 Download FLAC
 Download mp3