Various Artists - The Association of Utopian Hologram Swallowers 2 x 7"

Polyvinyl (great label - check them out) PRC090. 2005

Those lovely Polyvinyl people even supply a cd containing all the tracks on these records to save firing up the turntable, if you're that lazy.

Owen - standard owen fayre, with cheap drum machine, finger picking and sensitivity. Small doses tolerated.

Make Believe - great disjointed post-punk twiddling. The run-off groove is making a fantastic beat that I've made a note to sample later. It's these little incidental discoveries that make this endeavour worthwhile.

Love of Everything - not overly bothered about this. In a similar vein to JOA, but not different enough to be all that interesting.

Joan of Arc - a surprisingly easy to grasp JOA tune. Their normal output of deconstructed rock reconstructed in the dark wearing mittens, on acid, gives way here to a hypnotic, repeating verse that just goes on and on. Quite beautiful.

Contender for best opening line - Make Believe 'Someone's taught the cat to moonwalk, and now it's a real show-off.'

Omoide Hatoba - Surfin' in U.F.O. 7"

Public Bath PB5. 1990

#967 / 1000

Structured noise from Japanese crackerjacks. Lo-fi riffing and grunts. Absolutely marvellous fun.

END OF ROW NUMBER 2...

... and time for another quick 7" frenzy.

George Clinton - A Fifth of Funk

Castle Communications ESSCD280. 1995

I don't understand what this CD is about. It's a bunch of funk and soul that I assume involve GC in some way, but looking through the credits for each track, 8 of the 13 (the 14th being an interview) don't mention him in any capacity, whereas he's mentioned as performer, writer or producer on the others.

It's a mixed bag of funk, soul and pop. The funk is funky, the soul is soulful, the pop is neither here nor there. To quote a John Peel sample from a Civilised Society album, 'it's a nice sound, it's a happy sound, and it's not doing anybody any harm'.

See, dead James Brown, THIS is funk. Just goes to show that dope and hallucinogens are better for creating da funk than amphetamines and coke.

OFFICIALLY THE WORST COVER ART EVER.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - No more shall we part

Mute CDSTUMM164. 2001

To be honest I think this is the first time I've played this.

Mostly ballads, with his voice sounding a lot like Neil Diamond in places. No bad thing, but not something that'll get a regular spin.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey

Mute CDSTUMM52. 1988

I find it impossible to listen to The Mercy Seat without a lump in my throat and the hairs on the back of my everything standing on end. From the thudding bass a few second in, the dramatic epic horror demands 100% attention. Possibly one of the greatest starts to an album ever.

What follows is probably my favourite NC&TBS album. Dark and brooding, but eminently beautiful. It drops off a bit here and there, but all forgivable.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Kicking Against The Pricks

Mute CDSTUMM28. 1986

They do a mean cover version, these people. They also do a mean album full of them.

Tip-fucking-top: Hey Joe, The Singer, All Tomorrow's Parties, By the time I get to Phoenix, Something's gotten hold of my heart

Oh dear: Sleeping Annaleah

If you only ever hear Nick Cave sing one song, make it The Singer.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Loverman (single)

Mute CDMUTE169. 1994

Big and dramatic, just like NC&TBS should be.

Second track is 19 minutes of improv and ad-libs that sound just that.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads

Mute CDSTUMM138. 1996

I can take or leave most of this, but the good bits are excellent: Stagger Lee (ooh, very sweary!), Henry Lee (with PJ Harvey, who used to look just like NC before she discovered how to be saucy), and Where the wild roses grow (with little Kylie, bless her).

The rest, peh, whatever.

Consolidated - The Myth of Rock

Nettwerk W2-30045. 1990

Probably the best of the bunch, but still... just more of the same.

Consolidated / Various - This is Fascism 2 x CD

MC Projects PROCD14. 1996

15 remixes of Consolidated track. Utterly horrible.

The David Holmes version is almost listenable.

Consolidated - Friendly Fascism

Network NET033CD. 1991

More of the same, but less recordings of people speaking on the open mic they pass around at gigs.

It's just all a bit kid-with-a-new-sampler.

Consolidated - Play More Music

Network NET040CD. 1992

I think it was this album tour when I saw them in Newcastle. Good live - very loud and dynamic. Someone asked them why, if they were so right on on groovy, were their shirts $20 (quite a lot in '92), and they seemed shocked and dropped the price to $10, giving everyone a refund on the difference.

It's all very right-on, PC, pro-veggy, anti-government, pro-choice. And it gets dull quite quick, as this seems to be the overall focus for the band, rather than making the music interesting. It's just samey, beat-driven semi-industrial.

Milk is not for 'uman beengs, it's for thee leetle aneemals.

Julian Cope - Charlotte Anne ep

Island CIDP380.1988

80's pop pap with a baffling charm.

Couldn't find cd cover, so here's the 12".

Julian Cope - Jehovakill

Island CID9997. 1992

That's better.

Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide

Island CDI9977. 1991

Ghastly, apart from Beautiful Love, and I've got the ep so this can go.

Julian Cope - Autogeddon

Echo ECHCD1. 1994

Julian gets all environmental and hates cars, nuclear power stations and concrete in general. He does seem to be realistic about it all though, which is a nice change from your normal, everyday whining 'green' pop tosh, which artists seem to forget are pressed in their millions on plastic, shipped around the world using whatever fuel, and played on electricity sucking equipment. To quote JC - 'there ain't no getting round getting round'.

Rant over. I want to save the planet as much as the next man. I pull the labels off me tin cans before washing out the gunk, crushing them, and tripping over them for two weeks until they're picked up.

On the whole a decent album. Musically all over the place but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Gentle acoustic to Chrome to Krautrock.

He's done a lot worse.

Julian Cope - Try Try Try ep

Echo ECSCD11. 1995

Poppy, rocky title track - is it Pearl Jam? An REM outtake? Whatever, it's alright.

I can't be bothered with the other 3, except to question why he's trying to emulate Prince on W.E.S.S.E.X.Y.

Julian Cope - Beautiful Love ep

Island CID483. 1991

I'm quite selective when it comes to JC. He does a huge amount of shite, but does pull off the odd gem. This isn't really one of them, but it's ok.

Title track is a chirpy upbeat pop ditty. Second track, Port of Saints, appears from the sleeve notes to be a dig at Bill Drummond and Dave Balfe, which I can't condone as BD is a top nice chap, and I can't imagine him ripping anyone off.

A not-completely-shit remix of title track. Finished off with a crap, nowt-nor-summat lo-fi track that shouldn't exist. 

Chicago Underground Duo - axis and alignment

Thrill Jockey THRILL106. 2002

Two nicely structure suites. My jazz knowledge is very limited, so comparisons will be kept to a minimum.

Starts nicely with some vibe and percussion, flows into a section that could be from an 80's Sun Ra album, off into freeform. Back down to earth with an upbeat synth-bass/horn workout. (deep breath......)

It continues on, ever more varied. Most pleasant, never annoying like some freakout jazz can be. 

I'm not sure how they'd pull it off live, being just the two sickeningly talentent multi-instrumentalists, but on disk it all works. Recommended.

Cabaret Voltaire - Easy Life / Fluid (single)

Parlophone CDR6261. 1990

No redeeming qualities. 

People trying to pull whatever, why can't we work together?

When they stopped being angry industrial types (after Chris Watson left - not that he's angry and industrial, he's actually a very nice mellow chap) they turned to twee tosh.

In the charity bin.

Curve - Blindfold ep

Anxious Records ANXCD27. 1991

Ten Little Girls - that's the track I liked at the time. Sounded good loud in clubs. Sounds a bit dated now, and she does sound quite a bit like Madonna on it. Terrible rap in the middle. 

Someone take that wahwah pedal off this guy. 

Toni does some talky bits on track 3, and her mackem accent comes through loud and clear which is quite funny.

Not very good. Of its time. 

Curve - Horror Head ep

Anxious Records ANXCD38. 1992

I think they did one good track (which isn't on here), and I gave them a go. Not sure if Toni Halliday can sing or not, she's so low in the mix. 

Track 3 goes all My Bloody Valentine circa Loveless in places, which almost makes it almost listening to.

I think the main selling point of the band was Toni being incredibly fit, despite being from Sunderland.

Buy some Cocteau Twins instead.

Dave Clarke - Red Three ep

Deconstruction. 1995

Three of the less tedious tracks. Ok in very small doses, but quite unimaginative.

Dave Clarke - Archive One

Deconstruction. 1996

Tedious techno tosh.

RIP FK

I just found out FK (mentioned in several posts below) died on Friday night. He was only a couple of years older than me.

He introduced me to the darker side of music, spending time compiling cassettes of Nurse With Wound, Whitehouse, Coil and numerous other things from his vinyl collection for me. What a nice guy. Cheers K.

Credit to the Nation - Call it what you want (single)

One Little Indian 94 TP7 CD. 1993

I don't have a problem with the Smells like teen spirit sample, but come on... there was no need to dig out funky drummer yet again.

The bits without the Nirvana sample sound exactly like Public Enemy, so there probably wasn't any need for this at all. Not even a very good rapper. Sorry guy.

#2 - pointless remix of #1. #3 - nondescript drivel about 'spectin da ladies.

Alex Chilton - Black List

New Rose ROSE194CD. 1989

Who decided this was releasable?

The Charlatans - Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over (single)

Beggars Banquet BBQ 60CD. 1995

Ditto below.

The Charlatans - One To Another (single)

Beggars Banquet BBQ 301CD. 1996

This was a FGC purchase, so I don't know why it's still here. Maybe she thought all those CDs she stole that were actually mine were this one. I can only speculate.

One of the more acceptable indie outfits from the early days.

Inoffensive, but unnecessary.

China: Music of the Pipa

Elektra Nonesuch 7559-72085-2. 1991 (1980)

Someone playing seven solo tracks on a pipa (a four stringed chinese lute-like instrument).

Alright, but gets a bit samey after the first couple.

Cindytalk - Camouflage Heart

Midnight Music CHIME 00.06CD. 1988 (1984)

I must admit I wasn't paying too much attention when this was playing, but it isn't a sound you can easily ignore. Difficult to describe... kind of intense, harrowing post-punk, post goth. Sharpe's pained voice carries the whole album.

I'll listen to this again when I can get a clear crack at it, and get a bit more indepth.

Cindytalk - The Wind is Strong

Midnight Music CHIME 01.03CD. 1990

The soundtrack to Eclipse by Ivan Unwin, which I'd quite like to see. Anyone got a copy?

50% very ambient tracks using piano and bird song.

50% dark and atmospheric, with reverb-laden bells, drones and various things from indiscernible sources, hiss, squawks, twangs... you get the idea. Industrial.

Current 93 - Nature Unveiled

Durtro 009CD. 1992 (1984)

David Tibet gets on my nerves most of the time. His nasally attempts at 'singing' on his folky stuff make my teeth itch. He ruined the recent Nurse With Wound gig at Queens Hall, London (for me, anyway) with his squeaky nonsense and pixie prancing. Consequently, I'm not what you'd call a fan of Current 93.

I do like the soundscape stuff though. I wonder how much of this is actually down to Mr T, as Steven Stapleton is credited throughout. Only the first two tracks are from the original vinyl release, so this is value for money as we get eight tracks. John Balance from Coil turns up on a couple.

The original tracks are very dark. You certainly couldn't call them ambient. Not the obvious choice if sitting in a dimly lit room, off it on mushrooms. In fact, I can't really think of an appropriate situation for listening to this. It demands too much attention for background music.

Difficult.

Coil - Stolen and Contaminated Songs

Threshold House [mail order only] LOCICD4. 1992

A small slip of paper indicates this is no. 557

Outtakes and unreleased tracks from the Love's Secret Domain sessions. Originally a limited mail-order only run of 2000, it was later re-issued for the masses. There's no information whatsoever on the packaging, just images.

They could have made LSD a double CD, as this is mostly good stuff. Track 9 is based around a stock sample that shipped with the Emax II sampler/workstation, which is a bit lazy. Apart from that, smiles all round.

Zos Kia / Coil - Transparent

Threshold House LOCI CD13. 1997 (1984)

First five tracks are Zos Kia recorded live at the Berlin Atonal Festival, 1983.  Mostly a terrible noise, with the odd recognisable element from later Coil stuff. You probably had to be there.

The other five tracks are rehearsal and live stuff (more noise) and some demo tracks which are more listenable.

I wouldn't bother.

Coil - Love's Secret Domain

Torso CD181. 1991

I'm reluctant to call this techno, though a few of the tracks most definitely are. Maybe experimental beat-based electronica.

They lose none of the creepy edge, just embelish it with da beats. 

Personal favourite: the vocoder-laced, madcap exotica of Teenage Lightning 2

Sack the graphic designer - barely legible gold ink over multicoloured backgrounds.

Coil - Windowpane (single)

Torso CD174. 1990

Coil go techno, and make a good job of it.

Slow, trancey, hypnotic. I listened to this while my head was a bit fizzy once, and all the individual sounds and rhythms leaped out. It was magic. I was too fkd to dance, thankfully.

There's three mixes of it on here, but they'll all different enough to excuse.

Coil - Hellraiser Themes

Torso / Solar Lodge Records TORSOCD161. 1990

If only the studio had actually used this, it would have been a much better film. 

Fine cinematic stuff with the every-present underlying Coil sinisterness.

Really nice artwork.

Coil - Scatology

Force and Form FFKCD1. 1986 (1984)

I was about to get the black sun (bottom of the cover there) tattooed on the opposite shoulderblade to my Einstürzende Neubauten tat, when someone pointed out it was an arsehole. I just never twigged before that. This was before I got this CD, where it's kind of obvious. It's a different cover to the vinyl.

Useless fact: Aqua Regis and Restless Day are listed the wrong way round on the cover.

This album, though good, is blighted by a lot of 80's sounds. I can hardly bare to listen to Panic, with Clint Ruin's drum programming. The non-beatsy tracks (the majority) are thankfully a bit more timeless. At the heart of it all, with Thrower's gentle then forceful clarinet, could be a contemporary soundtrack piece. I think I sampled Aqua Regis on a Sex For Ollie track.

This issue is topped off with their version of Tainted Love which is, slow, massive and so damn sleazy-sounding, even with the 80's synth sounds.

A delicious piece of Coil's history.

Coil - Unnatural History

Threshold House LOCI CD2. 1990

Genuinely creepy compilation of previously released tracks. The processed pig noises on The pope held upside down churn the stomach. There's a dark, foreboding atmosphere across the whole album. Great use of obscure samples. Some brilliant, complex rhythmic play (Homage to Sewage, Dream Photography). Some of the sounds and melodies used could almost sound twee out of context, but here they'll keep you awake at night.

A great introduction to the early life of this innovative, influential bunch of sickos. Plus it includes the 16 minute masturbation aid How to destroy angels, so it's a bargain. Though it doesn't do much to raise my male sexual energy.

Coil - Horse Rotorvator

[There's nothing on here to indicate the label at all, and I can't be bothered to determine which release this is with a Google frenzy.] ROTA CD 1. 1987

Considering this was recorded back before the digital revolution took off, it's outstanding. I wasn't exposed to Coil until '89 (cheers FC!). It's a shame they seemed to get quite lazy later on (much later, I must stress - in the noughties), churning out platter after platter of semi-ambient majikal cack. I'm glad they got back into it before Mr Balance died. The Ape of Naples is a real return to creative form.

I couldn't begin to list the genres and sub-genres this record spans. They go everywhere. I'm not here to educate. I'm just listening to my music, ok?! Brief synopsis - homosexual sex, death.

Strikingly bad cover and booklet artwork.

Cyclefly - Supergod (single)

Radioactive Records RAXTD37. 1999

Fairly pedestrian thrashy rock from Irish chaps with a weird sounding singer that sounds like a girl but isn't. The title track has a certain appeal, but the other two tracks are throwaway. It's all over in 8:30 though.

I must have heard it on Peel's show.

Clotaire K - Lebanese

Nocturne / Sub Culture NTCD325. 2003

I took Clotaire K on a UK tour back in October 2004, along with Nass El Ghiwane, dj/Rupture and Nettle. What a bunch of really nice guys. It was a fun week, mostly. I had the radio on in the minibus driving from Newcastle to London when they announced John Peel was dead. The mood in the van took a solemn tone.

These guys totally rock out live, really put on a good show. It doesn't quite do it for me in the studio. It all works on paper - a blend of French hip-hop and arabic instrumentation, with raps in French, Arabic and English. It's just a bit too clean and over-produced. 

See them live if you can.

I still haven't bought an oud, which I've been meaning to do since the tour. And if anyone knows what Gigu is, let me know. That's the nickname the band gave me, and they assured me they weren't taking the piss.

The Coctails - Live at Lounge AX, Chicago

Carrot Top Records SAKI-013. 1996

If it takes more than 3 minutes of various Google searches to pull something up, it's a good sign that it may be a bit obscure. The only reference I can find to this is on the record label's website (go there and buy some Cocktails stuff).

I initially picked this up in a second hand shop because it had a typically jazz cover. Closer inspection showed some young guys, one of which was playing a saw with a bow. Here's my money, thank you.

This is a recording of their last ever gig. Studio quality, crystal clear. It's hard to describe them, as musically they leap all over the place, but their wikipedia entry probably sums it up - loungecore / garage jazz. Fun and freaky, I'd say. Archer Prewitt is now The Sea and Cake (on Thrilljockey). The label's website reveals that several of their records were produced by Bob Weston from Shellac. Can't be bad.

If I lost this I'd buy it again.

[edit - the reason it wasn't doing much in Google was because I spelt it wrong - no K in it. oops]

Codeine - Barely Real

Sub Pop SPCD51/213. 2002

Not nearly as well produced or structured as Birch. Someone take that piano off Grubbs.

Includes a cover of Promise of Love by MX-80, if that's any help.

Codeine - The White Birch

Sub Pop SPCD118/299. 1994

I notice my copy of Frigid Stars is missing. Spoilt my night, that has. Only Man U and Chelsea both failing to score in normal, extra time, penalties and sudden death penalties for the next 3 days shall unfurrow my brow.

Codeine - kings of slllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

Think Low, Mogwai, Slint, flick them down to 33rpm and you're there. But to my knowledge, these guys started the whole thing.

Sparse, melancholic strumming and picking eventually give way to powerful, wrought, angst-ridden sections of anger and confusion. I can just imagine Steve Immerwahr wringing his hands, rocking back and forth at his desk, before jotting down the latest lament and smudging it with his tears.

Oh, and Dave Grubbs plays on a couple of tracks, but he seems to get everywhere.

Absolutely fucking awesome (sorry, but the fucking was absolutely fucking necessary).

Clinic - Internal Wrangler

Domino. 2000.

I can't think of anything around at the time, or since for that matter, that sounds like this. Obnoxious, uncompromising, raucous and fun with a dark edge to it. It has, dare I say it, a punk aesthetic to it.

The title track is the bastard son of the soundtrack to the sleaziest go-go bar of your nightmares. The Second Line is a brilliant laid back slice of genius.

An altogether enjoyable album, with moments of real originality. Shame they couldn't keep it up on further releases.

Clinic - Walking With Thee

Domino WIGCD100. 2001

I loved Internal Wrangler. A fresh, original sound that won my attention immediately.

They didn't really move on anywhere from that though. The tracks on here follow pretty much exactly the same formula.

Melodica, a quiet voice in the background going 'aaaaaah....... oooo aaaahhhhh'. The same lumbering, neo-shambling rhythms. Seemingly the very same vocal line on every song.

The odd time when they rock out and mix it up a bit, it just sounds a bit shite. When they get mellow, it's still the same bloody formula as above but quieter.

They manage to sound different enough, but still themselves, is on Come into our room, with it's spartan techno-ish beat and melodicalessness. For the wars gets a bit more subtle at the end of the album.

Disappointing after such a promising debut.

Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas motion picture soundtrack

Warner Bros 7599-25270-2. 1988

So much atmosphere, so few notes. Some of the very best slide guitar I've heard, warts and all. Brings a lump to my throat every time.

Harry Dean Stanton's singing is damn good too.

Good film to boot.