Desert Island X: Group 1 Listening Thread

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Literally all I did was unzip it (I've got a Macbook so I used Zipeg), made a new playlist in iTunes and then dragged the folder into the playlist and everything was in order.
 
Just wrapped up IWB's playlist.

I really enjoyed the first part, as it did a great job of introducing me to artists and songs that have been a blind spot for me so far. The Sonics, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding and Smokey Robinson were particular highlights. I really enjoyed the overall flow, which kept the music in the same ballpark, but it didn't become repetitive.

As for part 2, I enjoy some bands on there, like Dropkick Murphys, but punk has always been something I've liked in spirit rather musically. Many of the songs started to bleed into each other for me, though that kept the transitions strong. I also loved how the playlist ended. That track collided the two sides of your list in the best way.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind words so far! Also, Cobbler, if you liked "Strip The Soul," I think you'll like the rest of In Absentia. One of my favorite albums.
 
I realised I didn't like anywhere near as much out of context of listening to your list :lol: so it might be a while before I listen to In Absentia.
 
Joey788 said:
Just wrapped up IWB's playlist.

I really enjoyed the first part, as it did a great job of introducing me to artists and songs that have been a blind spot for me so far. The Sonics, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding and Smokey Robinson were particular highlights. I really enjoyed the overall flow, which kept the music in the same ballpark, but it didn't become repetitive.

As for part 2, I enjoy some bands on there, like Dropkick Murphys, but punk has always been something I've liked in spirit rather musically. Many of the songs started to bleed into each other for me, though that kept the transitions strong. I also loved how the playlist ended. That track collided the two sides of your list in the best way.
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Thanks
 
Laz I did not enjoy part two as much as part one. It started well, that Johnny Foreigner song was amazing, I could have listened to the first two-thirds of that forever. Reminded me a bit of my fav things about Dismemberment Plan and Broken Social Scene.Not an M83 song I’d heard, having only Hurry Up We Be Dreaming, but it was a good’un. Any list that contains L!o!s! C!a!m!p! gets bonus points from me. Deap Vally... decent song, one that I could see myself drooling over live, but not one that I think I’d come back to often. A lot of the middle ran together a bit for me (admittedly I am listening as I work, but otherwise I’d never get the listening done) and the the R&B/soul detour was not to my taste.

It did end well though. Twilight Singers snapped me out of a stupour, mostly because I was so surprised to be ejoying a song that featured banjo. And the Bettie Serveert was a real nice, breezy way to end things.
great job mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
 
I enjoyed that Johnny Foreigner song so much, in fact, that I looked the album up on Spotify. I got one-and-a-half songs in. It sounds fucking great, so I stopped, because I want to buy it. Can you tell me, dear Laz, if there is a digital version available? I can't see one. Only CD, which would cost me $22.
 
cobl04 said:
alright... Laz I’ve listened to the first part of your entry. Really enjoyed it. I’m glad you’ve become a DI participant, as I always find myself enjoying your lists a great deal, despite not knowing many of the artists. You’ve got quite eclectic taste and it’s refreshing to really dig a list that isn’t populated with artists that I already know reasonably well, which is what usually happens with me. I’m always finding new music I should check out, not in terms of genre, but artist.

Let’s Get the Party Going was an awesome opener, an absolutely joyous track. I did not laugh at the Rolling Stones song as I did not know it nor its context, I just enjoyed it for what it was, a good song. From then on the whole thing was pretty damn great. I was particularly taken with the Xtina track, the Nelly Furtago single was great. The Prince track shocked me a bit, it was the least Prince-y Prince song I’ve heard. (If there even is such a thing as a “Prince-y Prince song”, the dude defies genre.)
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Thanks for the praise. Definitely hoping to share as many artists people weren't familiar with, or throw curveballs in the cases of Xtina, Stones, Prince etc.

PhilsFan said:
Someone's going to need to explain to me how to get Laz's list functioning for me. I have a PC, WinRAR, and iTunes.
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cobl04 said:
Literally all I did was unzip it (I've got a Macbook so I used Zipeg), made a new playlist in iTunes and then dragged the folder into the playlist and everything was in order.
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Try to import the .m3u if you can!


cobl04 said:
Saint Etienne sounds sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much like Frente

for those who don't know:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdJYrkra0nk

now you know, niggaaaaa
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Not too familiar with Frente aside from the Bizarre Love Triangle cover that got a lot of airplay here in the states. For what it's worth, Saint Etienne have been around just as long.

cobl04 said:
I enjoyed that Johnny Foreigner song so much, in fact, that I looked the album up on Spotify. I got one-and-a-half songs in. It sounds fucking great, so I stopped, because I want to buy it. Can you tell me, dear Laz, if there is a digital version available? I can't see one. Only CD, which would cost me $22.
Click to expand...

The JoFo album mp3 is available on Amazon here, which is where I bought it. Looks like your country's Amazon doesn't have anything by them so you'd have to go through amazon.com or amazon.co.uk

I highly recommend their album Waited Up 'Til It Was Light, but they're all good. And we have Shouter to thank for introducing the band to B&C, just as he did with Los Campesinos!
 
That Saint Etienne song seemed to me like it could have been a long lost song that didn't wind up on that first magnetic fields album (the one where Merritt didn't sing any of the songs). In my world, that is high praise. Yertle was a big fan, and I'd always been meaning to check their stuff out because of that.
 
lazarus said:
Not too familiar with Frente aside from the Bizarre Love Triangle cover that got a lot of airplay here in the states. For what it's worth, Saint Etienne have been around just as long.



The JoFo album mp3 is available on Amazon here, which is where I bought it. Looks like your country's Amazon doesn't have anything by them so you'd have to go through amazon.com or amazon.co.uk

I highly recommend their album Waited Up 'Til It Was Light, but they're all good. And we have Shouter to thank for introducing the band to B&C, just as he did with Los Campesinos!
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Yeah for some reason I thought they were new. My bad.

For some stupid fucking reason you can't buy mp3s off Amazon from Australia (unless our site has it) which is incredibly fucking dumb, so I guess I'll have to fork out for the CD.

Not surprised to see Shouter was on the scene first. I am surprised that they haven't had more coverage though. It's tough to find reviews on major sites. The only mention they have on Pitchfork is from a 2008 interview with Los Camp! where Gareth says they're his favourite new band.

Cheers :up:
 
cobl04 said:
I realised I didn't like anywhere near as much out of context of listening to your list :lol: so it might be a while before I listen to In Absentia.
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To be fair, Strip the Soul is not one of In Absentia's best tracks.
 
I'd say Fear of a Blank Planet is a good entry point for Porcupine Tree. It worked for me anyway.
 
Alright, after a good weekend of listening, here are some thoughts.

- Laz: loved your list, just like last time. As cobbler said, I think you tend to gravitate towards under-explored genres and artists in the B&C universe, which is great. Lots of stuff I want to check out in the future, including Lemonheads, Bash & Pops (loved that song) and Johnny Foreigner. I liked disc 1 better, and actually listened to it twice already, but the opening five songs of disc 2 were probably my favorite stretch. Great stuff.

- IWasBored: your first disc was fun to listen to. I like Motown and had heard many of the artists, but not necessarily the songs you picked. Very easy to listen to and enjoyable, and I'm keeping this playlist saved on my spotify for future reference. The Johnny Rivers song was one of the highlights for me, and a great way to open. I liked The Snake too. Now, your disc 2 was hard to get into, as others said. Just a genre I'm not very fond of. Also, the song/album titles scared me off: Skinheads Rule OK -> Sometimes Anti-social, Always Anti-facist -> Justice isn't Always Fair is probably the most reactionary piece of DI history.

- Joey: as in previous DIs, your lists are very close to the type of music I like, so it was a great listen. Definitely dark, but in an interesting way. Army of Me was perfectly placed, and the Chelsea Wolfe song was a fantastic opener. There were a few things that I didn't know - the Steven Wilson song in particular, and I didn't recall that EMA song either, so I'll check those out.

I'm halfway through Padj's list, which I'm enjoying already. Will post thoughts on that later.
 
Alright, I have finished IWB's list:

Disc 1: Generally, the reason I've avoided music from this era is because what I've been exposed to are the pop hits that lack sophistication. I think of this genre and I think of simple pop songs like "Build Me Up, Buttercup." You'll have to forgive me for generally assuming that was how most of the era went. What I love about this first disc is that it takes that sound and production from that era but maintains a greater complexity and tension that I love about the modern music I prefer. And while I find short songs in modern music often slight, these short songs work better as they seem to lay on their melodies for just the right amount of time.

Disc 2: While I certainly don't consider myself a punk fan, I'm probably one of the people here who will have an easier time sliding into this genre because my friends are fans of pop punk and ska. I'm used to hearing power chord compositions a lot. That said, the songs really do sort of run together when played in this way. It was hard to remember specific songs and it got a bit exhausting by the end of the disc. But I guess that's sort of the point, which is fine.

Notes: The only songs I already knew going into this playlist were all back-to-back: The Twist, Twist and Shout, and Much Too Much ... that Discipline song sounded awfully familiar, I'm pretty sure one of my buddy's has that song on his playlist ... my favorite songs: Secret Agent Man, None of Us Are Free, and Cohesion.
 
PhilsFan said:
I'm probably one of the people here who will have an easier time sliding into this genre
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6DDAB95CCA1069091504104292352_1c343dba63d.3.1.mp4.jpg
 
Dotpoints for IWB:

- Warped spy music to begin. Groovy.

- Yummy Bass VI on the Ventures.

- First five songs, all good time rock and roll. Makes you want to dance, but sounds sort of quaint.

- Morphine - really growling and primal, like a snake across the desert. This band is pretty good!

- Blind Boys of Alabama are not a style I typically like, but None of Us Are Free is a pretty good tune. Good Hammond, good call and response vocals.

- It's the production. It's too blurred.

- At least it's jaunty.

- This is testing my patience for horns in music. I don't think they're completely useless, but their inability to create harmony with themselves means most use is boring.

- LETS TWIST AGAIN, LIKE WE DID LAST SUMMER

- The Who sounding saccharine? Weird.

- Hey these Dropkick Murphys are pretty neat!

- The punk stuff is fine. But just fine.

- Okay, the Oxymoron song and Cocksparrer are pretty catchy.

Overall, I think they're good mixes for two genres that I'm just super not into, and so it suffers from my own personal taste rather than from any flaw within the playlist.
 
I listened to Joey's list. Great stuff. It's one of those lists I knew I'd enjoy beforehand and it didn't disappoint. I loved the first half. Lots of great songs that I love but even the songs I didn't know were great, the Chelsea Wolfe song comes to mind immediately. Other people have mentioned it I think but it really sets the tone nicely. Husbands, Army of Me and Climbing Up the Walls are all personal favorites of mine so there was a lot to enjoy. The latter is my favorite OKC song and that's high praise.

The middle section lost me a little because there were a few songs I didn't enjoy quite as much. I've never been able to get into that highly praised Fiona Apple album and Holy Water didn't do much for me either. You more than make up for it with those final four songs though which are all brilliant.

So overal, lots of great songs, good flow all around and very cohesive. I'llbe surprised if this doesn't end up being one of my favorites. The shorter running time also means I might be able to give it another listen (yay for shorter lists).
 
Just finished Joey's list as well. People have already rightly commended the flow and caliber of artists represented. I guess I'll be a dissenting voice in my overall opinion, though: I found the list pretty conservative. We all know and most of us love Radiohead, St. Vincent, The National, etc, and it's a safe bet that people will go apeshit for anything from side 2 of Joshua Tree, so the list doesn't offer much in the way of surprises. Like IWB said, it's something like a B&C popularity roll-call. That's not a problem per se, as the point of this DI is to listen to music we enjoy, but it also means it's hard for me to get excited about this list.
 
cobl04 said:
Literally all I did was unzip it (I've got a Macbook so I used Zipeg), made a new playlist in iTunes and then dragged the folder into the playlist and everything was in order.
Click to expand...

I'm using a Mac too, but the file keeps unzipping into another zip file. Anyone else have this problem?
 
gump said:
- IWasBored: your first disc was fun to listen to. I like Motown and had heard many of the artists, but not necessarily the songs you picked. Very easy to listen to and enjoyable, and I'm keeping this playlist saved on my spotify for future reference. The Johnny Rivers song was one of the highlights for me, and a great way to open. I liked The Snake too.
Click to expand...

Cool. Glad to hear this.

Unfortunately, I seem to have failed here:

Now, your disc 2 was hard to get into, as others said. Just a genre I'm not very fond of. Also, the song/album titles scared me off: Skinheads Rule OK -> Sometimes Anti-social, Always Anti-facist -> Justice isn't Always Fair is probably the most reactionary piece of DI history.
Click to expand...

I am not a huge fan of that stage bottles song, nor am I really a huge fan of the band. They're ok, but they're mainly here, placed specifically next to a song called "skinheads rule ok," to really beat people over the head with the "this is not the skinheads you saw on that gangland special on tlc" angle. If I got called out, saying something like "no the Templars aren't racist, they have a black guy in the band," although true, is like the old thing about having a black friend.

If the point I was trying to make was that the general sub-genre mainly represented by the "punk" half of my list, was that skinhead/oi music (which not all of disc 2 is, just as not all of disc 1 is strictly Motown/r&b/soul) is not white power neo-Nazi propaganda bullshit, but comes from another place of

I fucked that up, and tried to basically play it off in the "artwork" with the Northern Soul graphic, even though that was really a mod thing, a lot of the bands (mainly the British ones, and by default the American and other European ones that came after that wouldn't have existed without the English bands) and I left out a lot of the missing links. There's nothing sound-wise to bridge disc 1 &2, and I think I just relied too heavily on the cheap, trying to be blatantly obvious--s.h.a.r.p. logo on the cover, one of the more lyrically anti-fascist songs I could think of (although if I wanted to include a stage bottles song more blatantly against neo-nazi boneheads I could have gone with "dead but not forgiven." I just didn't think it would be as obvious to anyone who didn't know whose death they were cheering. I mean, it was obvious to me, because I was introduced to the song from a very left-wing record label sampler, and the only Ian whose car-crash death they'd be happy about would be the shit bag from skrewdriver. But if you don't know that, then it's just going to sound...I don't know what it's going to sound like).

If i could do this over properly, disc 1 would be ska. I just didn't feel like putting together an hour of ska. I couldn't fall back on the personal with ska, as it fit the definition of "roots," just not my own. I got into ska after, because of the stuff on disc 2. I could have just used a different Templars song, or tip-toed lightly, if I really wanted to avoid certain things, or just different sorts of punk rock if I was just that intent on making half my list something to alienate the majority of the people who'd be listening to it. That seemed even more dishonest, although now I'm not really sure.

Now, that Terminus City song, out of context from its full album, totally fair calling it reactionary. When I threw out the original song I had in its place, I did think wow, this song could totally be taken the wrong way. Maybe it's even meant as pro-stand your ground/castle law, treading a little too closely to what I was trying to avoid.
 
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