AMERICAN ANALOG SET all i want for christmas

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apologies for the poor pressing quality. (the mastering is well done, though.)

not much to add on AAS.

next to SPOON, one of the essential Austin acts.

hard to imagine more relaxed yet tight and sensual indierock-music - even for a christmas-song.


listen.


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BARR the song is the single

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discovered thanks to the almighty Phil Elverum - on this podcast, uploaded by Caff Flick (they released the awesome NO KIDS / MOUNT EERIE split).

what a weird smart guy.



listen.


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PJ HARVEY kick it to the ground (4 track)

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Polly's voice always benefits from a sparse production.


listen.


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TRANSPARENT THING car

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a pleasant discovery, thanks to WJ.

they also did a split with Jessamine on Darla Rec. not really surprising.

note the quality-distinction between beer and red wine in the lyrics.


listen.

buy it as long as you can (for a ridiculously low price).


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HOOD redundant

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fabulous six bands-split 7"- the third and final Rebound-release.

Hood do what they have to do.

you won't read any disappointed comment on Chris and Richard in this blog.


listen.


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LES LUTINS laissez-nous vivre

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a Dave-gift.

mid-sixties yeye-beat from Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec.

is this an appropriate description? tell me.

listen.


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PENNY'S ELECTRIC WORKHORSES SONGS conflicts with blocks of the citizenry

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U. liked it a lot, and even managed to get one copy via Thrill Jockey's mailorder. i had taped her all the All City 7", to justify my label-completism-obsession.

James Bertram, who very much is PEWS, used to play in Lync, Red Star Theory and 764-Hero. Wikipedia tells me that he's also on the bass on Beck's One Foot In The Grave. he's also on a couple of Built to Spill recordings.


listen.


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LOW if you were born today

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the first time i went to a LOW-show was in may 1999, in Paris. they had started more than an hour before the announced schedule, the set was quite short, so when I made it to the Balle Au Bon péniche, a houseboat on the rive gauche bank, i literally heard the last chords of the encore. boy was i disappointed.

it was a small venue, Mimi, Alan and Zak were hanging around, no backstage space, and so, out of (at that time consistently growing) enthusiasm for their music, I accosted them.
they were quite sorry for me, and after i had told them i was living in Germany, they suggested to put me on the guest list for their show in Hamburg, opening for Mogwai.

so two weeks later, i took the train from Bonn to Hamburg. the show was amazing, apart from the physically violent sound-volume Mogwai imposed.


it was the real beginning of a LOW-commitment that abruptly ended with their first Sub Pop release. to this day, it's the band i've seen most frequently playing live (that is, eight times).

this 7" was highly sought after when it came out, and it's just thanks to my Normal Mailorder activity that i managed to get a copy. it's because of this very release that i discovered the Wurlitzer Jukebox label.
Qui l'eût cru?

check Zak's comic publishing - it's worth it!


listen.


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P:ANO pure evil

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it took me four years to get addicted to them.

the person that sold me that 7", L., who's friends with the people who released it (those people are also friends of, surprise, Dave), mentioned that the silkscreened covers were bleached in the sun.

Dave once posted here a whole live-set-recording he made in 2005 in Vancouver.
essential, of course.


oh, and as christmas is getting closer, here is some amazing older Julia & Nick side-project-stuff:



listen.


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GLO-WORM travelogue

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this song can be magic - on the condition that you're in love, no matter if it's returned or not.


listen.


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BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY southside of the world

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a Will Oldham classic.

the essential ingredient to this song: a concrete hope that doesn't fear to be dashed.


listen.


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