What are you currently listening to?

[vol.2]

@BIL

@Ronyn @vol.2
I forgot to say : do not sleep on Sodom.

Sorry I slept on this reply. Here is my copy of In the Sign of Evil that I bought decades ago.

Spoiler

[FinalBaton]

Awesome

[Marc]

Making my way through the Appleseed Cast's discography in the hope of a Euro tour that was briefly mentioned last year. One of those bands that if I had to rank the albums, the list would change on a monthly basis. One of the most under-rated emo/atmos/spare indie/rock bands to ever ply their trade in my opinion.

[Herr Schatten]

Re: Teutonic trash metal.
Sodom's Agent Orange and Better Off Dead are both stellar records, but I never really got into anything they released before or after.

Kreator, on the other hand, have released nothing but quality their whole carreer. I like the more experimental albums just as much as the more traditional ones. Truly an outstanding band. I was lucky enough to see them on their home turf in Essen in 2017. What a show!

Another band I used to listen to alongside the aforementioned two was Tankard. Admittedly, they are much more limited, but they pretty much founded their own subgenre of alcoholic thrash, and at least their earlier works are worth a listen. They probably peaked with the album Two-Faced, even though it‘s not really representative of their style.

[Obiwanshinobi]

One metal band I feel deserves mentioning on occasions such as this one is Coroner (Swiss, like, you know, Celtic Frost and Messiah). Amidst oversupply of metal music in general, it's one of the most-deserving to be kept from oblivion, methinks.

Budgie and Blue Oyster Cult.

Gotta say, I don't know these guys either

Budgie, peculiarly (not unlike Marillion), happened to enjoy quite the popularity in Poland, perhaps moreso than in their lands of origins.

[Steamflogger Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lIqNjC1RKU

[Steamflogger Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HwATJMeOYU

This song hits hard.

[lemans123]

I am currently listening to flock of seagulls- I ran so far away

[Obiwanshinobi]

Clarinet quintet by Johannes Brahms. I saw it labelled as "famous" in a book about clarinet and clarinet players, which I read "popular with the latter". This surely is the music that took shelter with musicians, i.e. nobody else quite "gets it", neither do I who "like it" very much, just can't put my finger on why so. For such a renowned composer, he has surprisingly few "hits", as if he wasn't interested in making things for effect whatsoever. In fact, as I type this, I struggle to recall a single theme by him that is not from German Requiem (but I would listen to that one rather a lot in recent years).
Then again, Brahms music, when produced seriously, with the full dynamic range it deserves, suffers from being played in a noisy environment where I usually listen to it. I hardly ever get to hear everything that it's there to be heard. As if the ideal surroundings for it was a forest where you can hear autumn leaves landing on the ground.

[Steamflogger Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ZqFlw6hYg

Fine listening after having your wisdom teeth removed.

[Steamflogger Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWPb7F9Kr_g

M.E.T.A.L.

[chargrad]

Recently, I appreciated the classics and got acquainted with the Bach fugues, and I also really liked Vivaldi's symphonies.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Recently, I appreciated the classics and got acquainted with the Bach fugues, and I also really liked Vivaldi's symphonies.

Can't go wrong with Baroque music!* Seems to have formated my sensibilities lately so that much of pretty renowned XIXth Century's music (Masses by Schubert and Beethoven, string quartets by the latter, something by F. Liszt as well) sounds valiantly modern to my ears, these days.
If you happen to live near its time (or earlier) architecture buildings, its worth keeping an eye out for live performances of early music possibly given there. Those are frequently chosen as the stuff's recording sites not merely for cool points.

*) Something strikingly unforced about it. My nephew as a toddler barely standing straight on his two legs would cheerfuly bounce and sing to the Masses by Francesc Valls and Henry Desmarest.

Recent discovery of mine, via cheap CD, are British recordings from mid-to-late nineteen-thirties of the dance band lead by Bert Ambrose. Little do I wonder why the year 1939 halted that excellence, and when the war was over, I guess amplified music had taken over dance halls.

[FinalBaton]

gotta share this, I think many people will dig.
I'm sure fans of italo disco/electronica/VGM-influence will already know of them, but I just discovered Latvian (then USSR) outfit Zodiac. been listening to them all week heavyly while working and doing chores.

They have 2 real kickass '80s albums called Disco Alliance (1982) and Music In The Universe (1982). They are bundled under one name on Spotify, but are found separate on Youtube. They refer to themselves as ''Space disco'' lol, which is absolutely fitting. Guess they'd fall under the more well known label of ''Italo disco''.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl7nxj39gmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2PjGPqrns8




Disco Alliance opens with a number that is very space opera ish, sweeping atmospheric and futuristic and melancholic all under upbeat disco hits. The rest of the album, apart from track 5, sounds very videogamey to me. Track 2 would be right at home on The Super Shinobi. Other SEGA sounding stuff is found throughout.(one even sounded quite like the Sega CD bios tune I love so!). Even the cookie, upbeat, over-the-top comical track 6 sounds like... well, like fucking vidjya games! Hell, it wouldn't be out of place in Battle Mania Daiginjou in between stages when the girls are at the shop/HQ.

Music In The Universe follows the same kinda approach at first : again opens with the same kind of sweeping track(and what an hymn!) and the second track veers into VGM territory. But this time track 3 veers back again in space opera feelz for a beautiful number. It keeps going like that with some numbers even crossing the 2 genres(like track 4 does).

I feel like Disco Alliance is the stronger of the 2 overall, so start with that. but if you dig, then absolutely give a chance to Music In The Universe. At least its opening track if anything.

Truly a gem from the USSR. superb synth work and atmospheres and the song writting and arrangements are top notch. Obviously great musicians at work here.

[vol.2]

Today, listening to Manuel Gottsching, E2-E4 (1981). This is the guitar player from Ash Ra Tempel doing late-kraut-electronica that is clearly looking forward to 90's club techno. If you don't know it and you like electronic music, give it a listen.

[Steamflogger Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAFsoz0IH44

[FinalBaton]

Enslaved is giving a show right now through Youtube, so I'm watching that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5STH5K ... yKQZGX9_So

[MintyTheCat]

I heard one track from it last year but the recent KMFDM album Paradise has a couple of decent tracks.

I like how bold and old-school this sounds - reminds me of very old KMFDM from the mid 90s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MpiiGB_jb4

They used to be so very novel and potent in their day.

I quite like this track too from the new one - but it ain't Goth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfSksYnxcIU

I always like how they got strong female Vocalists e.g. back in the XTORT days with Dogma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKhKBNS1fPc

Personally, I still think that ANGST and Symbols and XTORT and NIHIL are my fave albums. ANGST blew me away the first I heard it.

Due to the Lock-Down a few friends have opened their music collections to me, and, I notice just how much Industrial I have in my collection. I've been into Industrial since the early 90s.

Lyrics wise KMFDM were always decent.

[scrilla4rella]

gotta share this, I think many people will dig.
I'm sure fans of italo disco/electronica/VGM-influence will already know of them, but I just discovered Latvian (then USSR) outfit Zodiac. been listening to them all week heavyly while working and doing chores.

They have 2 real kickass '80s albums called Disco Alliance (1982) and Music In The Universe (1982). They are bundled under one name on Spotify, but are found separate on Youtube. They refer to themselves as ''Space disco'' lol, which is absolutely fitting. Guess they'd fall under the more well known label of ''Italo disco''.

This looks dope. just added it to my Spotify and will give it a listen tonight. Thanks!

[XoPachi]

Alex Lee's Take It is my favorite song and I love the remixes for it. This one in particular.

https://youtu.be/pmxkWyDmYYU

(Original)

https://youtu.be/_JFrNYqPCfU

[FinalBaton]

Been spinning vinyl all week-end to really give my sweet ''new''(1986) JVC turntable a good workout. Started with my comfort-food type muic : hard-rock/melodic oldschool metal/NWOBHM. Priest, Maiden, Dokken, W.A.S.P. . The works.

Then wanted some classic rock-pop to play in the background cuz I was in a rare mood for it. so I threw the Stones gatefold compilation on the TT. That was fun, I enjoyed it. I very rarely listen to Beatles, Stones, Floyd etc.

Then wanted some well-produced new wave, so I threw an underdog Bowie record on, that I love very much : Let's Dance. (production is ridiculously good on this record). Seems I have a great pressing too because it sounds unreal. I'm hearing details I haven't heard before in those tracks. And I have a good digital rig.

Quite a trip to hear a sorta-high end vinyl rig

[Steamflogger Boss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up_wE9EfOrE

One of my favorite JMT tracks.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Quite a trip to hear a sorta-high end vinyl rig

I am grateful for the series of radio "shows" titled Big Black on Polish Radio 2, where devout collectors bring their "art music" vinyl to give us a subject-focused overview of those recordings (dedicated to a particular conductor, soloist, orchestra, record label etc.), as it gives me a chance to hear them preserved by all-analogue means to this day (even though analogue radio inevitably adds its share of noise), played on professional hardware too. While I don't have any real high-end amp or speakers handy, a battery of 2.1 devices gives me a pretty broad frequency response, at least (many of those recordings are mono anyways).
This makes for a valuable supplementation of my usually gigital music diet.
Other curiosities played on there, such as a stereo (!) recording from Berlin A.D. 1944 (!!!) or so of some orchestral music (embarrassingly, I can't remember the conductor's or composer's names, likely - something by Richard Wagner), or home recording of radio concert by Béla Bartók playing Chopin, made by his fan who bought a device recording sound on Röntgen film just so she could record his live performance, are also great enrichment of my home education on the history of performing and recording the music throughout decades.

That being said, I've more use for CDs nowadays than, perhaps, ever before. First of all, it's a very convenient time and age to collect them - rarely do I hesitate to pay asking prices for the stuff I want on CD. Secondly, I've grown tired of internet freeloading; there's so much of everything out there it's overkill. Now, if I get a quite randomly purchased recording of Brahms symphony on CD, that's quite the reason to give this particular recording attention their effort deserves. Such is my response to oversupply of everything, good and bad, that we as the humankind are dealing with. My experience with various recordings of the same compositions, variously performed, is that one is usually, if not the very best of them all, then somewhat formative and I keep returning to it. I don't seem to be nearly done collecting Quatuor pour la fin du temps on CDs yet (like with numerous OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast versions, I don't mind paying more than once for the good stuff), but the 1968 London recording is benchmark still, not least thanks to Gervase de Peyer's clarinet job. And I chose it by the cover alone! Except I doubt it's quite the same thing the audience heard A.D. 1968 from their vinyl; sounds excessively retouched in digital remastering process to me, but it's cool - our sensibilities develop for the all of our lives.
Another peculiarity of CDs came in the spotlight with my recent purchase of Missa Solemnis directed by Gardiner, 1990. It's the length. Never before CD had we have a medium to play Mass this long at home without interruption. It is, after all a Mass, which as a genre benefits from such continuity. This one was also digitally recorded to boot, so, should it apologise for that?
Also, I find CDs the most direct way to start listening to the music I choose rather than enable computer with the fat internet leech sucking on it. Last but not least, I can't help thinking of my collection as an Ark of sorts. It might outlive me and, hopefully, give someone a hit such things even exist and our forefathers deemed them worth keeping from oblivion.

[andsuchisdeath]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULPiv8sv-bs

[BurlyHeart]

The new Pearl Jam album is pretty good for existing fans but I doubt it will bring anyone new into the fold, or bring back those who fell off the wagon. Some good tracks to add to their repertoire, but also some super average songs..

Dance of the Clairvoyants is great. Superblood Wolfmoon is good. But I do think there are better songs on everyone of the previous albums. Still worth the $10 for fans (digital download (MP3/FLAAC/WAV) via their site).

[FinalBaton]

I am grateful for the series of radio "shows" titled Big Black on Polish Radio 2, where devout collectors bring their "art music" vinyl to give us a subject-focused overview of those recordings (dedicated to a particular conductor, soloist, orchestra, record label etc.), as it gives me a chance to hear them preserved by all-analogue means to this day (even though analogue radio inevitably adds its share of noise), played on professional hardware too.

That's pretty cool. You're still getting a taste of analog sound here : even on digital needle drops, or micing and then uploaded to Youtube, the presentation of vinyl still comes across(it is unmistakenly different). SO yeah you're still experiencing it in some ways.

Great preservation work by these collectors and broadcaster!

Am I reading this right : a stereo record from 1944? That's early af for stereo

Your take on CD is interesting. I dropped them as I now bother with only vinyl, and Spotify/Youtube. But there's no denying that used CDs are cheap af, and you get to own a copy of a recording, and it forces you to listen to what you have and appreciate it, and focus/respect the work more (I agree that the overwhelming choice of music available at the click of a button on Spotify, is sort of akin to the syndrome of the blank page for an artist. When there's no limitation, it's way harder to commit and make choices and be inspired and you sometime freeze/don't know what to do). For the record (pun fully the fuck intended, by the by), on Spotify I've kept the mentality of listening to whole records. Most of my coworkers find that completely weird, and don't understand why I would do that. But that's just what I grew up doing and I treasure it. (every now and then tho, I do let Spotify make me a ''mixtape'' when I do chores and stuff, and credit where it's due, their algorithm is actually awesome).

Oh for sure, albums got on average longer when CD came out (or got added singles and b-sides and rarities). Personally I think some artists got carried away by it, as to me 60 min+ is too long for a pop/rock/metal record (I think after 40 to 50 minutes, it has overstayed it's welcome. Unless it's clearly a concept double album or multi-part compilation or something). But that's a controversial subject

Your last 2 sentences are very true. and the last one is very epic... I'm now imagining an alien race invading us and finding our music and trynta understand it and study it

[Obiwanshinobi]

Am I reading this right : a stereo record from 1944? That's early af for stereo

Aye, some American company (Atlantic?) also experimented with multi-microphone recordings, on film stock, around that time or even way earlier (long time before any home format was ready for it). The trouble with WWII German experiments (now I think Wilhelm Furtwängler was the conductor whose name I couldn't put my hands on previously) was all the negative connotations associated with time and place. Not sure how true the stories are of Soviet Union having "arrested" those tapes for decades, but they sound plausible to me. I can totally imagine Third Reich fetishists praying to a bootleg of it. Furtwängler himself, when seeking job after the war, was perhaps not too-eager to reminisce about that period of his career.

[Ixmucane2]

Forced remote working is giving me an opportunity to listen to my vast backlog of CDs. Some highlights:

Good

Pink Floyd - Pulse
Manowar - Hell on Stage Live
Kraftwerk - K4 aka Radio Bremen (bootleg)

Great live performances, among the best of these bands.

Goblin - Buio Omega OST

More evil than their most popular sountracks (Deep Red, Phenomena, Dawn of the Dead...)

Meh

Los Lobos - Llegò Navidad
Enya - And Winter Came...

Worthy additions to my collection of cheesy Christmas music. Somewhat off, but far from the worst ones (for example, I have Justin Bieber's "Under the Mistletoe" and Giovanni Allevi's "Christmas for you").

Terrible

Don Dorsey - Beethoven or Bust

Amazingly stupid, tasteless and disrespectful.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Started going deeper into people involved with AOTP and OuterSpace is the truth.

[FinalBaton]

today's vinyl get. I'm happy. listening to those right now.