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Music from my personal collection .... It's all about the music. Genre be damned.

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This song is a bit of an aural spectre for me - keeps popping into my head and haunts me until I listen to it again.

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I was introduced to this band via Bandcamp Daily and, at the time, sought out everything they had released. The album ‘A Lot To Want’ comes from includes so many good songs - it was hard to pick exactly which I wanted to represent (there are also four official videos that are cute, and I love them, but not my favorites) - but I think another vivid/visual song would be Crystal Witch - which has the lyric question of how she sings while your finger rings her mouth (like the rim of a wine glass) issued a very different visual for me sadly (duh for me).

There is a comment on the Crystal Witch video that I sadly have questioned myself - how is this album not more popular?

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We have lost a great musician/composer - again. Ryuichi Sakamoto has such an accomplished catalogue (both solo and in collaboration) it is hard to narrow down to a single piece to honor him by, but this one has stayed with me for at least three decades. (Born January 17, 1952 / died March 28, 2023)

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Found this group via this particular digital (iTunes) compilation (Plaisir De France) and scooped up everything I could get my hands on. Still hoping for a 12″ to someday fall into my lap in a more convenient way to complete my library of their catalogue... Either I find it in poor condition or it’s shipping cost (at least, historically) is downright stupid. For the record - I believe this is another abandoned project. Oscar Tillman aka Holiday For Strings - now appears to focus more on other work in general, but musically appears as “Thunder Tillman” with ambient/moody instrumentals (you can find an example here) ...

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From their most recent release Mother Moon (pre-release is available for the physical copy on Cold Spring as well). I normally will buy the physical version, but the digital seemed to support the artist more directly (Bandcamp Friday yo) and I was able to procure the go-along publication in physical format. The album is beautiful, quiet, and contemplative. I am thankful to have been introduced to their artistry (drawing from a well of creativity oft inspired by visual and written works) via Fossil Aerosol Mining Project (co-release on Helen Scarsdale ‘nigths & profecy’) and have most of their catalogue in my library. If you’re a :Zoviet*France: fan, you’ll thoroughly appreciate their works. ‘Banning Mill’ is another gorgeous track from this release.

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It was surprising to me to learn of Georgie Fame so late, but whether it was the wrong song to get introduced to him by or simply not getting the reference (Blossom Dearie, for instance) he slipped by without notice. Along comes Beatschuppen in the mail and I am entranced by this track (notable other tracks for different reasons - Bowie pronouncing ‘morning’ still stands out for all the wrong reasons). I think the thing I take away from Georgie Fame is his range, or possibly, inconsistency. He can croon like Englebert Humperdinck on one track, sing soulfully (and I dare not make a comparison) on another - but then he’ll have a song like “Someone To Watch Over Me” and it’s a William Shatner talk-along shit show of heavy accent and schmaltz. He downright stole King Pleasure’s version of ‘In The Mood For Love’ note for note. It’s frustrating. Absolutely worth looking into, there are some strong gems, but it’s a mixed bag for me.

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Ben Stokes (a’la Dimensional Holofonic Sound, Meat Beat Manifesto et cetera) pulled this together rather ... quietly - in that, not many seem to know about it and trying to get it online was at one time a bit of a bear. I found the digital files (cd/digital is a preference due to my turntable set up) online a while ago - it has since been uploaded to Bandcamp (you’re welcome). Trippy mix of Bachrach/Alpert type samples, deep base, and catchy rhythms. Being the product of parents who listened to easy listening/muzak, this is both fresh and nostalgic for me

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Shame to say this band has called it quits. This was from their first release and honestly - it felt like the soundtrack to the documentary of youth with all the angst, hope, and honesty bravely worn on their collective sleeve. Each of their three albums are worth attention for different reasons. Their Matador release Mirror II is their most experimental, but one can’t help but wonder with a (more) major label, the pressure wasn’t a contributor to their demise. If you are interested, James and Riley are also part of Soot - completely different sound all together (not sure if that outfit is also kaput) but it will be interesting to see where they each go next.

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Since I just mentioned Clinic and Ade Blackburn, I figured I would point out this particular song that (re)introduced me to Clinic - a band I was aware of, but I never really listened to before. We listen to Spotify (why rent music, yo) at work and when it came on, it reinvigorated my conspiracy theory about the Unkle/Black Angels tune. This neo-60s psychedelic sound is something that in the past decade (especially) I have grown to truly appreciate - growing up in the 70s and 80s the 60s sound was something you could simply not escape, and what does one do when something is shoved down ones throat? Hold it in great contempt. Sometimes you have to discover something from a vastly different angle to appreciate it.

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So. I normally eschew popular culture. That this song was used in part in a bad-but-popular series of movies is utterly lost on me. I enjoy both the Black Angels and Unkle - neither of whom would I describe as ‘popular’ but still - on the side of better known. This song stood out in the rather large mix of the digital release of ‘Where Did The Night Fall/Another Night Out’ something about the vocal quality. I can hear Alex Maas clearly once the chant ends, but up until that point - it sounds so much like Ade Blackburn of Clinic it downright haunts me. There is a quality to his voice that is unique and I hear it so clearly here that I, every now and then, try to find proof of it. Call me crazy.

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Whether they are considered a one-hit-wonder (hit might be overstating) or just diminished to a means to capitalize on girl group/beatlemania merging, this is still a great tune. Found on ‘Girls With Guitars’ (a great series - now up to volume 4) this one popped up in a shuffle while driving the other day and I found my head a bobbing along. They do have a full album, but I can’t find much of anything online about it except 84 of us would like to hear more.

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I found this ditty on a Ladomat 2000 compilation (if you’ve been with me this long, you know I love a good compilation ... or remix ... or cover). At the time I did not realize it was a complete re-imagining. The original Forever Sweet ‘Don’t Speak’ has a great beat an all, but the remix is effectively a cover of Abba’s ‘Winner Takes It All’ - so a cover-remix-on-a-compilation. Triple win. While, it is just my opinion - this is a significant improvement on the original.

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I learned of Poni Hoax from a cover they did of Marquis De Sade ‘Wanda’s Loving Boy’ on the physical 2-disc copy of ‘Des Jeunes Gens Mödernes - Post Punk, Cold Wave Et Culture Novö En France 1978 - 1983‘ (worth every penny), but it’s only recently that I have started focusing on their own work. Sadly, their lead singer is no longer with us, and I can’t say if their time had come and gone (their last album was 2017 - he passed 2021), but I’m slowly wading into their brief but impactful catalogue. This tune has an infectious keyboard that can haunt me during the day at times that I am unable to listen to it’s siren call. I think the best fix for that sort of problem is to pass it along so I don’t feel so alone.

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