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May 2001 Playlist
In an attempt to help navigation, I've grouped
reviews alphabetically. Let's see how it works.
I managed to bring a few CDs with me on my journey back to the
UK. Picked up a couple of discs in Iceland and London too.
So here's what I've been listening to.
Sigur Ros. Von. Smekklysa. SM 67 CD.
Unfortunately all the credits are in Icelandic. Despite three days
there earlier this month, I picked up very little of the local
lingua. As there's only 270,000 of them, I'm not sure many others
have either. Apparently English and Danish are compulsory in
Icelandic schools and lots more speak German. Whatever. I
couldn't find this CD anywhere in the States so I bought it for a
staggering $20 or so in Reykjavik. Lots of brooding synthy-like
strings and improbably high vocals. Nice wooly hats in their Wire
spread the other month.
Sigur Ros. Von Brigthi. (Recycle Bin).
Smekklysa. SM 67 CDR.
Another wodge of Icelandic Krona for an authentic Icelandic CD.
This be remixes of SR by other Icelanders - Gus Gus, Mum (interesting
support for Mogwai the other night), Thor, Ilo.
Arab Strap. The Red Thread. Matador. Ole 503/2.
Aiden Moffat lightens up a bit, but you gotta think his love life is
pretty crap.
Labradford. fixed::content.
Kranky. krank047
Supreme contrast to Arab Strap: Richmond, Va's best ever ambient,
post-rock, lyric-less, mood enhancing combo. Described by one UK
newspaper as "the most boring album of the year..." I
beg to differ.
Fennesz/O'Rourke/Rehberg. The Magic Sound
of Fenno'berg. Mego. Mego 031.
Put three avant-rockers in a room (actually several rooms as this was
recorded over several months and in several cities around the "Free
World") and see what you get. You get a cracking album.
Finishes off with the Fenno'berg Theme, a sumptuous John Barry/007
rip-off.
The Wire Tapper 07.
Another excursion into the nether regions of musick courtesy of the
perfect antidote to NME, The Wire. Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra,
Four Tet and Mice Parade standout. Skip the track of Tibetan monks
chanting away.
Johnny Cash. American III: Solitary Man.
american. CK69691.
Yep, it's the man in black. I bought this for the Will Oldham
track "I See a Darkness" and it is a fantastic cover version,
but the whole album is a treasure trove of Americana. Cash
endures.
Tortoise. Standards. Thrill
Jockey. Thrill089.
Chicago's post-rock super group emerges from three years of near
silence. Standards is not, as one might assume, a collection of
standards, but (perhaps) an attempt of the quintet to set the record
straight after the (perhaps) over-produced TNT platter. Tortoise
are a rock band, not jazz and not (really) avant-garde.
Draw Me a Riot
Another freebie from those crazy_folk@thewire.co.uk.
This time it's a collection of shit from those equally_crazies@matador.co.uk.
There's stuff from my all-time (tied) favourites, Yo La Tengo, plus my
all-time favourite one-man-in-his-bedroom, The Wisdom of Harry, and not
forgetting my all-time favourite noise makers, Bardo Pond.
rumah sakit. travels in constants.
From the last of that brilliant and diverse series of mail orderlies.
Mogwai. travels in constants.
As above. The Bhoys (see Celtic FC pix on the cover) irritated the
Bejesus out of Temporary Residence (the record label responsible) along
with customers by delaying the release of the last of this series by six
months or more. It was worth it.
Cerebus Shoal. travels in constants
Another one: also good. Er, that's all I can think of.
oRSo. s/t. Perishable.
Perishable 04.
Down home Americana tinged stuff with a hint of Tortoise (or at least
former member Bundy K Brown).
Orb. Cydonia. MCA. 314
548 206-2.
I could make up the catalogue numbers and no one would care. It's
not as those audiophiles pop along to their HMV dealer to order acetates
by reference numbers anymore.
Jim O'Rouke. Terminal Pharmacy.
Tzadik. TZ7011.
Some of the less accessible stuff from the ever-busy munchkin.
Loads of subtle blips and what-nots. Altogether excellent.
Led Zeppelin. Physical Graffiti.
Swan Song. 7567-92442-2
It's the mid-seventies; Bobby Plant and Jimmy Page are getting heavily
into mystic eastern shit; there's drugs aplenty; John Bonham is capable
of laying down a drum track in his sleep. Led Zep cut one of the
greatest albums of all time. I've now owned this in three formats
- disc, cassette and CD. It gets better every time.
John Coltrane. The Major Works of John
Coltrane. Impulse. GRD-2-113
This classic collection contains alternate takes of Coltrane's mid 60s
tour de force "Ascension", plus "OM" and two other
tracks spread over two CDs. It ain't easy on the ears.
Microstoria. model 3, step 2.
Thrill Jockey. Thrill092.
Blip, squeak, squak. Dit, dit, blip, blip, dit.
Playlist index
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Reviews I-O
Reviews P-Z
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