Desert Island X: Group 5 Listening Thread

[LemonMelon]

I started this one a bit late, so for that reason I'm not expecting any rankings for this group until Monday, December 22nd, which is the de facto deadline for all rankings. At that point, the top 10 will be announced and we will proceed to the second portion of the tournament.

Because of the close proximity to Christmas, I think we'll resume with part 2 after the holidays. Unless you guys think we can successfully run polls during Christmas week, in which case I can reconsider.

Group 5

LJT

I've come to realise that my usual playlists meander quite a bit and well at nearly 2 hours of music they can be a bit tricky to listen to, especially since I eschew more well known artists. This probably makes my lists a bit harder to digest especially if you have limited listening time, it definitely doesn't make it easy to give it repeat listens. For the 10th Desert Island i've just went for a single hour of music that I feel blasts through at a fair clip. There is little in the way of electronica this time which my previous lists have tended to feature quite a bit of. I think at the beginning I set out with the aim of, if IWasBored liked something from my list I would consider it a success! Anyway I would just like to say that i've enjoyed doing these competitions over the years we have been doing them, and it is thanks to them that i've been introduced to some really good music and they continue to do so.

01. Cursive- "Sierra"- The Ugly Organ (3:25)
02. Black Mountain- "Let Spirits Ride"- Wilderness Heart (5:15)
03. Ty Segall- "Feel"- Manipulator (4:15)
04. Manic Street Preachers- "Love's Sweet Exile"- Generation Terrorists (3:29)
05. Afghan Whigs- "John the Baptist"- 1965 (5:35)
06. Cunninlynguists- "Hard as They Come (Act 1)"- Oneirology (4:17)
07. Saul Williams- "Control Freak"- Saul Williams (4:15)
08. PJ Harvey- "A Perfect Day Elise"- Is This Desire? (3:06)
09. Arrows of Love- "The Knife"- Everything's Fucked (4:21)
10. Dinosaur Jr- "It's Me"- Beyond (5.15)
11. Sons and Daughters- "Rebel With a Ghost"- This Gift (3:01)
12. Surfer Blood- "Neighbour Riffs"- Astro Coast (2:08)
13. Ezra Furman- "My Zero"- Dog Days (3:55)
14. Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld- "A Quiet Life"- Still Smiling (6:05)

Total 58:22


LemonMacPhisto

THE NAZIS HAVE DISCOVERED TANIS

This music should be played loud!

1. Richard Wagner - “Vorspiel” - Das Rheingold (4:13)
2. Thee Oh Sees - “Toe Cutter / Thumb Buster” - Floating Coffin (3:32)
3. Shannon and the Clams - “The Cult Song” - Sleep Talk (2:52)
4. Tony Molina - “Change My Ways” - Dissed and Dismissed (1:12)
5. Prince - “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” - Sign o’ the Times (6:29)
6. HAIM - “Falling” - Days Are Gone (4:19)
7. Talking Heads - “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)” - Remain in Light (5:49)
8. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - “Beverly Kills” - Before Today (3:57)
9. Mac DeMarco - “Passing Out Pieces” - Salad Days (2:47)
10. Gil Scott-Heron - “Johannesburg” - From South Africa to South Carolina (4:42)
11. The Shangri-Las - “Remember (Walking in the Sand) - Remember (Walking in the Sand) [Single] (2:43)
12. Angelo Badalamenti - “Dance of the Dream Man” - Music from Twin Peaks: Original Soundtrack (3:42)
13. The Replacements - “Androgynous” - Let It Be (3:12)
14. Ike & Tina Turner - “River Deep, Mountain High” - River Deep Mountain High (3:36)
15. Blood Orange - “Champagne Coast” - Coastal Grooves (4:52)
16. Kanye West - “I Am a God (ft. God)” - Yeezus (3:52)
17. Wu-Tang Clan - “Can It Be All So Simple (Radio Edit)” - Can It Be All So Simple [Single] (4:12)
18. The Flamingos - “I Only Have Eyes for You” - I Only Have Eyes for You [Single] (3:15)
19. Nina Simone - “Sinnerman” - Pastel Blues (10:22)

Total Time: 1:19:33, or 79:33


Vlad n U 2

Songs That I Gone and Liked

1. Underworld - "Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love" - Second Toughest In the Infants (16:37)
2. Stereolab - "Jenny Ondioline" - Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcemenys (18:08)
3. Curve - "Coming Up Roses" - Come Clean (4:32)
4. Smyslovyie Gallyutsinatsii - "Vse izmenietsya" - Sdelano v tiemnotie (4:36)
5. Splean - "Slomano vse" - Noviye lyudi (4:17)
6. Midnight Oil - "Outside World" - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (4:22)
7. Kent - "Palace & Main" - Du och jag doden (4:05)
8. Something For Kate - "Easy" - Beautiful Sharks (4:26)
9. Mumiy Troll - "Kosmichieskii desant" - SOS matrosu! (5:22)
10. Myslovitz - "Chlopcy" - Milosc w czasach popkultury (3:58)
11. Mansun - "You Who Do You Hate" - Attack of the Grey Lantern (3:10)
12. Manic Street Preachers - "Misguided Missile" - Futurology (4:20)
13. Lush - "Nothing Natural" - Spooky (5:55)
14. Leftfield - "Storm 3000" - Leftism (5:44)
15. Del'fin - "Vse" - Suschestvo (6:01)

Total runtime: 96:00


The Sad Punk

WE CAN ONLY REMEMBER

The original idea was that this was a conceptual list about two lost loves trying to reconnect after years of being apart, whether in tiny country town or post-industrial urban mass, through sticky dance floors, mysterious tragedy and exile on the lonely highway fueled by am radio, all in the realm of flashing memories interpreted through contemporary artists and their influences, but in the end I am basically just gonna say that Snap is an underrated font.

1. Okkervil River – “Down Down the Deep River” – The Silver Gymnasium – 6:33
2. Saint Etienne – “Hug My Soul” – Tiger Bay – 4:15
3. Michael Jackson – “Remember the Time” (New Jack Jazz Mix) – Visionary – 5:08
4. Dornik – “Something About You” – Something About You – 3:47
5. The Internet – “You Don’t Even Know (Ft. Tay Wa)” – Feel Good – 4:58
6. Wave Racer – “Streamers” – Streamers – 3:31
7. Miami Horror ft. Alan Palomo – “Holidays” – Illumination – 4:27
8. Anamanaguchi – “Prom Night” – Endless Fantasy – 3:48
9. Yellow Magic Orchestra – “Behind The Mask” – Multiplies – 3:3
10. Tkay Maidza – “Switch Lanes” – Switch Tape – 3:16
11. Cut Copy – “Free Your Mind” – Free Your Mind -5:18
12. Vic Mensa – “Down On My Luck”- - 3:30
13. Le1f – “Go In (produced by Morri$) – Dark York -3:30
14. TNGHT – “Higher Ground” - - 3:19
15. Bear in Heaven – “The Reflection of You” – I Love You, It’s Cool – 4:19
16. Twisted Wires – “Half Lives” – After Dark 2 – 4:39
17. Janet Jackson – “Empty” – The Velvet Rope – 4:32
18. A Gap Between – “Neon Signs” – Summer Night-Runner – 3:32
19. Blood Orange – “High Street” – Cupid Deluxe – 2:58
20. Prince - “When Doves Cry (Single Mix)” - The Hits/Purple Rain – 3:48
21. How to Dress Well – “Words I Don’t Remember” – What Is This Heart? – 6:18
22. Kanye West ft. Mr. Hudson – “Paranoid – Video Version” – 808s and Heartbreak/Paranoid – 4:46
23. Autre Ne Veut – “Ego Free Sex Free” – Anxiety – 4:03
24. Danny Brown – “Clean Up” – Old – 3:02
25. The War On Drugs – “Red Eyes” – Lost In The Dream – 4:58
26. America – “Ventura Highway” – Homecoming – 3:33
27. The Isley Brothers – “Voyage to Atlantis” – The Essential Isley Brothers – 4:30
28. Aretha Franklin – “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” – Let Me In Your Life – 3:51
29. Sarah Vaughan – “Midnight Sun” – Ballads – 5:36
30. Glen Campbell – “Galveston” – Galveston – 2:42
31. Bruce Springsteen – “Born to Run” – Born to Run – 4:31

 

[LemonMelon]

Hey, look! It's LMP's cover art.

 

[phanan]

I started this one a bit late, so for that reason I'm not expecting any rankings for this group until Monday, December 22nd, which is the de facto deadline for all rankings. At that point, the top 10 will be announced and we will proceed to the second portion of the tournament.

Because of the close proximity to Christmas, I think we'll resume with part 2 after the holidays. Unless you guys think we can successfully run polls during Christmas week, in which case I can reconsider.

Not sure if I missed something. How will polls go with 10 players moving on? You do five head to head polls, but then you have five players left. How would that work?

When Axver first suggested this approach, he mentioned a Top 8, which made sense - quarters, semis, final. That doesn't work with 10.

EDIT: unless we were giving the top 2 point scorers from the first portion byes?

EDIT 2: or is it World Cup style with 2 groups of 5, and then the top 2 from each group move on?

EDIT 3: or perhaps I'm fucking overthinking this shit.

 

[LemonMelon]

You're the first to ask. We're mixing things up and doing a survivor.

Voting should take two weeks: 9 polls, three days a piece. Personally, I think the finals will turn out great. All the fun of unveiling the rankings, plus our own twist on a survivor. Something there for everyone.

 

[phanan]

I like it. Hopefully our participation numbers will be good. We've had about five or six people whose appearances in the review threads have been spotty, and a few who haven't been around at all.

 

[LemonMelon]

If the participation in the first poll is poor, we can make some adjustments along the way and allow more time for voting. As it stands, I think it provides the most potential discussion, as well as LOTS of time to listen to the lists if one hasn't already. It's very helpful to have all of the lists in front of you as a reminder.

 

[IWasBored]

LJT's list apparently exists in this form to appeal to me, so it's kind of fitting that it's in my top 3 or so for best lists i've listened to so far. i've been hypercritical of being forced to listen to hip hop in the past, but given that one of the two tracks here is saul fucking williams, it is totally cool. list starts off rocking it does not fuck around at all, and it stays badass throughout (except for those last two songs, but they were alright). and i think i like this one best of the pj harvey songs everyone's included this round (which i think we should call DI 10: PJ Harvey Fans and Other People).

i thin i'm supposed to be angry at LJT for spotty appearances in these threads or something, but i liked his list to much for that.

 

[PhilsFan]

Let me just state for the record that I will be in on all deadlines. I am writing up a review of Cobbler's list soon and listening to iYup shortly thereafter before heading in to this group which should take a reasonable amount of time. I need to re-do my Group 1 rankings along with the rest of my rankings but they will all be there.

 

[iron yuppie]

list starts off rocking it does not fuck around at all, and it stays badass throughout

Absolutely this.

LJT, I have been a big fan of your lists since I have been involved with DI, and this one was no exception. The pacing was superb, and it left me wanting more, which is very rare with these lists. That Arrows of Love track was harrowing in its intensity - a real highlight. The closing track also built toward something of a morose coda, which I thought was an appropriate way to end this thing. Ty Segall also delivers, and reminded me that I need to hear Manipulator in full before the year is out. The explosion toward the end of the Afghan Whigs track is another example of a positive surprise this list throws at the listener. Bravo.

 

[iron yuppie]

LMP: What I always appreciate about your lists is the dexterity with which they bounce among genres. I'm about 2/3 of the way through right now, and we've already seen indie rock, classical, jazz, hip-hop, soul, and probably a few others. That they come together seamlessly is the most impressive thing. Favorites thus far were the Shang-ri-las and The Replacements (the first track of theirs I have really enjoyed). The pacing on this thing has been great as well.

 

[iron yuppie]

...and it ended just as strong as it began. I especially like the Blood Orange - Kanye transition, and the Flamingos track was a nice, sedate interlude to an otherwise intense list. This is among my frontrunners for the competition so far.

 

[LMP]

Hey, look! It's LMP's cover art.

Good, I spent time on that shit.

 

[LMP]

LMP: What I always appreciate about your lists is the dexterity with which they bounce among genres. I'm about 2/3 of the way through right now, and we've already seen indie rock, classical, jazz, hip-hop, soul, and probably a few others. That they come together seamlessly is the most impressive thing. Favorites thus far were the Shang-ri-las and The Replacements (the first track of theirs I have really enjoyed). The pacing on this thing has been great as well.

...and it ended just as strong as it began. I especially like the Blood Orange - Kanye transition, and the Flamingos track was a nice, sedate interlude to an otherwise intense list. This is among my frontrunners for the competition so far.

Thanks, dude. Imposing a 1-disc restraint helped in the decision-making process on what to include vs. not. I've been making monthly mixes since March '13, and this list was essentially a Best Of with a musical throughline in lieu of a narrative one.

I'm curious how folks will compare list lengths when it comes down the run-off voting next round.

 

[Axver]

You're the first to ask. We're mixing things up and doing a survivor.

Voting should take two weeks: 9 polls, three days a piece. Personally, I think the finals will turn out great. All the fun of unveiling the rankings, plus our own twist on a survivor. Something there for everyone.

Ah this should be cool!

I haven't had time to listen to lists so far - I've been catching up on 2014 albums when I've had time to sit down and focus on new music. I was aiming to check out the contenders for the finals... though I fear those I like the most on paper may not make it through.

And I'd definitely not run polls over Christmas. Past experience suggests this forum is a ghost town.

 

[iron yuppie]

I'm curious how folks will compare list lengths when it comes down the run-off voting next round.

For me at least, a shorter list is generally a more effective one in getting a mood across and keeping my attention. There is value in editing.

 

[LemonMelon]

Shorter lists give me a lot less time to get lost in them. The 60 minute lists especially tend to feel like a sampler instead of a memorable, complete experience. 100+ minutes is usually my minimum. The only exception is single-genre lists, which can be a single disc and I usually get the idea.

I'm never going less than 2 hours because I find those lists more fun to make and I like too much music not to push. I spend more time making the list than anyone else will listening to it anyway, so I get top priority.

 

[LMP]

For me at least, a shorter list is generally a more effective one in getting a mood across and keeping my attention. There is value in editing.

Shorter lists give me a lot less time to get lost in them. The 60 minute lists especially tend to feel like a sampler instead of a memorable, complete experience. 100+ minutes is usually my minimum. The only exception is single-genre lists, which can be a single disc and I usually get the idea.

I'm never going less than 2 hours because I find those lists more fun to make and I like too much music not to push. I spend more time making the list than anyone else will listening to it anyway, so I get top priority.

Point/counterpoint.

The biggest difference between a great short list vs. a longer one is how it plays in the margins. Maybe the space between Track 10 and Track 11 can hold 2-3 more songs between 'em. I think for the purpose of sharing mixes, self-editing makes it easier for the recipients to chew on, and a lot of that stems from the blank CD/cassette tape methodology that I think the bulk of the culture from which it was born. I will revisit a long list that I make more than one someone else does due to that sense of propriety... but in the end it's me jerking my noodle. Hey, might as well do it yourself.

 

[LemonMelon]

LTJ:

Since I was just whining about short lists, it's fitting that I heard his next. Alright, so, this is another list with some choppy transitions that overall had some overarching feel working in its favor. I can't quite describe it...lo-fi indie rock? No, that's not quite it. Not industrial. It's dark and heavy rock music, only not really all that dark or heavy. CunninLynguists didn't fit in at all though, way too smooth and palatable for everything surrounding it, but the song itself was really good.

The heaviness of this list reminded me of the kind Liam employed on his list, only there isn't enough GREAT material here to bring me back. I liked having it on, but there weren't very many songs that jumped out at me as favorites. Most of the artists I hadn't heard of (Black Mountain, Arrows of Love, Sons and Daughters) were just OK, nothing I would seek out further. I will say that I really liked the Ty Segall track (Manipulator ), Dinosaur Jr. and MSP tracks (I've got to hear that album at some point).

The general idea and feel of this list is on point, but there is some dead weight that took away from the list's focus. If you're focusing on one sound (which you largely did), stick to that instead of going in a different direction briefly and pulling back in. I would have preferred 5 more in the vein you were following than the CunninLynguists and Saul Williams tracks. Also, as IWB mentioned, the ending didn't work. Neither track fit in quite right with the rest. But overall yeah, this was pretty enjoyable.

 

[iron yuppie]

Well Vlad, if this first track is indicative of the entire list, it's going to be a blast. This song is an industrial tour-de-force.

 

[nielsgov]

I've had a very busy last few weeks so I've barely had time to listen to anything DI related. I've got plenty of time now though, so I'll probably get through these last few lists pretty quickly.

I just finished LJT's list. I really enjoyed it. That means that I also thought it was too short but on the other hand, the best albums always leave you wanting more. I've also stated on numerous occasions that I'm a fan of shorter lists so whatever, it was a fun listen. Lots of stuff I didn't know as usual but there were some more well-known artists, with songs I wasn't familiar with, mixed in at just the right times to make sure there were reference points for me.

I loved how you put two hip-hop songs in the middle of all the rock without it sounding out of place. Especially the Cunninlynguists track was awesome. Another one of their tracks was one of the highlights of Ashley's list so I need to hear more from them. Other stand-outs were John the Baptist and It's Me. Dinosaur Jr's guitar sound never gets old does it? The Ty Segall track makes me want to check out his latest album. The last two tracks were wonderful as well. My Zero has such a nice melody.

 

[iron yuppie]

Going through Sad Punk's list - the transition between Bear in Heaven and Twisted Wires was superb. I also think Bonoz212 is going to love this list.

 

[iron yuppie]

Also this Gap Between song is sublime.

 

[iron yuppie]

Unfortunately, "Paranoid" is the worst Kanye song I have heard by a fair margin. What is the general feeling about 808s, anyway?

 

[iron yuppie]

It's true: there ain't nothing like the real thing.

 

[nielsgov]

LMP:

Well you definitely had the most ambitious transition of this competition: Wagner into Thee Oh Sees. Sounds horrible on paper but it was actually really cool. Nicely done. The opening guitar in the latter has such a cool sound. I listened to their album once and didn't go back to it but I'm going to do that in the near future as I loved Toe Cutter.

I've said in numerous reviews that I normally don't enjoy people mixing too many genres in one playlist but I did enjoy it here for some reason. I really don't know why. Maybe it's because you went even further than most with it. Each song sounded completely different than the previous one. In any case, I thought it worked. The Cult Song was horrible though, irritating even. Luckily that was the only song I disliked. The Prince track was a highlight. I still haven't listened to Sign o' the Times but I'll have to change that soon as I enjoyed a few of his tracks in this DI alone. The same goes for Days Are Gone by HAIM. Seemingly everyone has used a track by them and I've enjoyed each one. And now I'm starting to sound like a broken record but the same goes for Talking Head's Remain In the Light.

I have no idea what to think of Ariel Pink. It's so cheesy but fun at the same time. The songs following songs were all enjoyable but nothing stood out to me. Dance of A Dream Man was a nice resting point. Let It Be was another highlight. Great song and just like iyp, this is the first song Replacements song that I actually liked I think. River Deep, Mountain High wasn't for me. Just totally not my thing. Champagne Coast is a great song and I Am A God fit perfectly after that. The final three songs didn't stand out to me in particular but I did like them, although I wouldn't mind seeing Sinnerman being cut by a few minutes.

Overal, I thought you had a wickedly fun playlist. It was totally crazy in its diversity but it worked. So props for that.

 

[nielsgov]

Vlad:

Just like LMP, you had an ambitous opening but then in a completely different way. Two extremely long songs and funnily enough my experience of both was totally different. I loved the Underworld track. Didn't bore me once during those 16 minutes. It always changed before it started getting boring. The Stereolab song wasn't my cup of tea though. It didn't have any memorable hooks or grooves so I lost track halfway through and it didn't capture my attention again. Your list immediately picked up after that though. The highlight of the first half, next to Underworld, was the Splean track. It sounds like it would have fit on OK Computer. The intro of that song also reminded me a great deal of a certain dEUS track I love, Nothing Really Ends.

Palace & Main was another highlight. I loved the Something for Kate song that cobbler used in his entry so I was looking forward to the one you used. I didn't like it as much as Star-Crossed Citizens but I still liked it a lot though. Some nice guitar work and surprising tempo changes. I liked all the remaining songs and the final three in particular. Lush seems to describe that band pretty well, at least based on that one song. I loved it. I also liked how the electronics came back on the next track after all the guitar stuff. Vse was a great, epic closer.

Apart from Stereolab I liked every song on your playlist. The Russian songs didn't sound out of place either and I barely noticed that there was singing in another language as lyrics (luckily) aren't the focus of those songs.

 

[liamcool]

LJT:

- Great intro. Good chorus, nice incorporation of strings into the layers of the song. Good "wind down" ending. Singer sounds far too much like late era Bono.

- Unfortunately it goes into a droopy blues rock song, which bored the socks off of me. Play like you mean it, lads.

- Very similar riff in "Feel", but played far more energetically and convincingly. Weirder arrangement. It even made a drum solo palatable!

- I can get into the incongruous introduction that the Manics do.

- Cunninlynguists is a terrible band name/artist name. The song is only marginally better.

- In contrast, I thought the Saul Williams track had a real sense of terror and fear behind it. Sort of terrifying to listen to. Could be the weird rhythm track.

- For once, PJ Harvey writes a song that is just unmemorable. Not great, not crap. Just there.

- I was prepared to write off Arrows of Love, but that switch into a sort of fourth gear at the last minute is EXHILARATING. Not sure if it'd be as effective a second time, but god damn.

- Dinosaur Jr. think they're Dream Theater without all of the 64th notes.

- Sons and Daughters - good, slightly off kilter guitar rock. Nicely done.

- "I thought you'd always be my zero" is a super depressing chorus, but man it's catchy. Chilled, laidback, but very effective tune.

- I don't think A Quiet Life's use was at all justified - the list was nowhere near long, nor emotional enough to use that as a payoff. That said, I loved how short and concise the list was - you could have cut a couple of tracks from the middle and made it near perfect. A real pleasure to listen to.

LeMac, you're up.

 

[LemonMelon]

I hope to finish the remaining three lists tomorrow before the deadline. Should be manageable.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Vlad:

Just like LMP, you had an ambitous opening but then in a completely different way. Two extremely long songs and funnily enough my experience of both was totally different. I loved the Underworld track. Didn't bore me once during those 16 minutes. It always changed before it started getting boring. The Stereolab song wasn't my cup of tea though. It didn't have any memorable hooks or grooves so I lost track halfway through and it didn't capture my attention again. Your list immediately picked up after that though. The highlight of the first half, next to Underworld, was the Splean track. It sounds like it would have fit on OK Computer. The intro of that song also reminded me a great deal of a certain dEUS track I love, Nothing Really Ends.

Palace & Main was another highlight. I loved the Something for Kate song that cobbler used in his entry so I was looking forward to the one you used. I didn't like it as much as Star-Crossed Citizens but I still liked it a lot though. Some nice guitar work and surprising tempo changes. I liked all the remaining songs and the final three in particular. Lush seems to describe that band pretty well, at least based on that one song. I loved it. I also liked how the electronics came back on the next track after all the guitar stuff. Vse was a great, epic closer.

Apart from Stereolab I liked every song on your playlist. The Russian songs didn't sound out of place either and I barely noticed that there was singing in another language as lyrics (luckily) aren't the focus of those songs.

Thanks for the feedback. Splean are pretty much the closest thing to a Russian Radiohead, put simply.

 

[IWasBored]

Deadline is tomorrow? Shit, I still haven't finished this batch and probably won't til Wednesday.