From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V5 #226 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Tuesday, October 4 2005 Volume 05 : Number 226 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] noise you can hear [Jeff ] [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! ["Bradley Skaught" ] Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! ["Bradley Skaught" ] Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! [Jeff ] [loud-fans] Apple music [dc ] Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! [Jenny Grover Subject: [loud-fans] noise you can hear I believe someone else here recommended these folks some months back, but I just picked up a copy of Audible's _Sky Signal_ - and I'm pretty sure it would ring a lot of pretty bells among the ears of our listies. I persist in thinking of it as what song-era Brian Eno might sound like if he were an American in his late twenties and hung out in the Philadelphia psych-pop scene (it kinda reminds me of Mazarin a bit, if you know that band), or for that matter, a more contempo and sunnier Game Theory. Oops - sorry: got on topic there a bit. - -- ...Jeff The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 14:35:38 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! I always intend to write reviews of the always-great loud-swap discs i've recieved, but it rarely happens. This time, though, i'm on it. 1.We Are Scientists "The Great Escape" Very cool, modern rockin' track. Like a more aggro Franz Ferdinand in the verses, with some really nice hooks and some good sweetening in the production that doesn't spoil the big swaggering rock. 2.Bob Mould "Surveyor and Cranes" I'm not going to run out and buy a Bob Mould record anymore, but I like the hearing the highlights and this song is really great. That beautiful wall-of-guitars (what my pal Adam and I have always called "Guitarchitecture") and a good, solid song. I wish he'd stay away from electronic music and stick to this still-fresh sounding rock. 3.Annie "Heartbeat" I know a lot of folks who really went for this fun, thoroughly enjoyable bubblegum dance music. I can see why--it's really great. In my heart I know I only appreciate Kylie because I can picture how cute she is singing her songs (apologies to Kylie fans who argue with me about her artistic value), but this song reminds me of classic 70's/80's dance music where it really doesn't matter if the singer's cute or not because it's so much fun. I'm glad to see the appreciation for quality dance-pop production coming back strong. 4. Dandy Warhols "Hells Bells" Sometimes I can go for the Dandys, but this one is a little flat to me. I miss the electro angle of the last album--it's not bad, but it lacks the deep, infectious groove that it would need to really grab me. 5.Sia "Breathe Me" It's a personal thing--I just can't go for the super mannered, vocal break/rasp thing that a lot of modern female singers do. I like the atmospheric music and there's a neat kind of contemporary soul vibe in the melody, but the vocal timbre alienates me. Part of the strength of this mix is great sequencing and diversity, so i'm always enjoying it even when a song doesn't quite work for me. It's like good radio! 6.Carole King "Pleasant Valley Sunday" A great live version. I love Carole and it's good to hear her in good voice. 7.The Hold Steady "Stevie Nix" I liked parts of it, but it didn't really grab me. 8.The Bats "Horizon" This is from the new one, and they sound just like The Bats--a good thing for sure. Actually, there's some treble on this recording so they've grown! Very good. 9.The Church "Almost With You" New Church? I _loved_ that last one--the Television-y tension and songwriting was great. This is a little too on the dreamy/strummy end for me, but there's always something about them that I enjoy. 10.Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! "Is This Love?" This is really fun. It kind makes me imagine some of the new bands of the last few years if they'd heard Split Enz instead of Orange Juice. I think it's that bubbly fairground keyboard. Really hooky and beautifully layered and lively--maybe a more sharply structured Modest Mouse? Will Gil back me up when I say i'm thrilled to hear the 80's high-hat patterns making a strong comeback? 11.Portastatic "I Wanna Know Girls" I really liked this a lot. It almost sounds like a Tommy Keene song--a fuzzy, jangly guitar arrangement and a really gritty, fantastic vocal. His voice sounds a bit like Bill Fox on this one, and i've been listening to Fox's old power pop band, The Mice, a lot lately. I seem to remember Superchunk covering The Mice at some point so it's all coming together. Anyhow, good modern power pop without the Not Lame power pop cliches. Good songwriting and a great straight up groove. Feels good! 12.Mama Cass Elliot "Make Your Own Kind of Music" I always wish she'd made albums as amazing as her voice. This is one of the few great songs in her solo catalog, I think--it sounds like a Sandie Shaw/brit-girl kind of song. Good to hear again. 13.Wolf Parade "Fancy Claps" I like this, but when the song ends at 2:51 i'm fully satisifed. I heard the album playing at work last week and I didn't like it, but hearing a track isolated like this is cool. 14.Tom Glazer "The Hurricane Song" Timely and informative. What we need now is "The Post-Hurricane Song"! 15.Matt Pond PA "Spring Provides" I love that title--really powerful. The song is good, too--reminds me a bit of Isolation Drills-era GBV with a great, Peter Gabriel sounding vocal! 16.Stew "Punk Rock T-Shirt Melting" I've lost my taste for Stew's music. Sorry. 17.Fiery Furnaces "Norwegian Wood" A friend pointed out to me that the Fiery Frunaces are the new Residents, and I think he's right (wait 'til you hear the new album--then you'll know for sure what he means!) Anyhow, this fits right in with that and it's great--a rare Beatles cover that I want to hear more than once. 18.The New Pornographers "Streets of Fire" I'm not a fan of Newman's stuff in general, but I like hearing these really strong songs in a mix. It doesn't make me want to sit through a record, but it's a really cool song. 19.The Delgados "Sink or Swim" This band has been on my list for ages, but i've only heard a few songs. This is a neat, folky strummy song. I'm looking forward to listening to the lyrics more--great singing. Would it be silly to say that this is what Edie Brickell would sound like if she was good? 20.Chris Spedding "Dark End of the Street" Spedding can't sing to save his life, but sometimes it works! And, surprisingly, it works on a song as difficult to sing well as this. It sounds a bit like Grin--layers of jangle and twang and a good, mellow 70's vibe. 21.James Earl Jones "The Simpsons' Raven" Still Funny. Maybe not "Lou Reed's Raven" funny, but at least it's intentionally funny. I'll be listening to this mix for awhile, I think--fantastic! love, Bradley ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 18:00:22 -0500 From: Jeff Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! Hey Bradley - who sent this mix to you? Sounds interesting... On 10/3/05, Bradley Skaught wrote: > I always intend to write reviews of the always-great loud-swap discs i've > recieved, but it rarely happens. This time, though, i'm on it. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 17:40:48 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! I forgot to mention that the pride of Belmont,George Mastalir, sent me that fine mix--thanks George! B ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 20:22:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Gil Ray Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! - --- Bradley Skaught wrote: (what my pal Adam and I have always > called "Guitarchitecture") Great word! Hard to say, but great! > Will Gil back me up when I say i'm thrilled to hear > the 80's high-hat patterns > making a strong comeback? Those were patterns I was playing back then?!?! ;-) Gil __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 22:38:17 -0500 From: Jeff Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! On 10/3/05, Gil Ray wrote: > --- Bradley Skaught wrote: > (what my pal Adam and I have always > > called "Guitarchitecture") > > Great word! Hard to say, but great! Around here, we are fond of the word "architorture." > > Will Gil back me up when I say i'm thrilled to hear > > the 80's high-hat patterns > > making a strong comeback? > > Those were patterns I was playing back then?!?! Well, you know how chaos theory was a big deal then? Just say that was your influence... - -- ...Jeff The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 21:18:31 -0700 From: dc Subject: [loud-fans] Apple music been reading about the new Fiona Apple album, "Extraordinary Machine," and i'm wondering if anyone has the unauthorized version produced by Jon Brion, which apparently leaked out on the net earlier this year. it's said to be more interesting than the sanitized official version that just came out. anyone know where to find it? dc vicinity of seattle ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:50:29 -0400 From: Jenny Grover Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Loud Swap Review! Bradley Skaught wrote: >4. Dandy Warhols "Hells Bells" >Sometimes I can go for the Dandys, but this one is a little flat to me. I miss >the electro angle of the last album--it's not bad, but it lacks the deep, >infectious groove that it would need to really grab me. > > What's this off of? Jen ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V5 #226 *******************************