Desert Island XI - QUARANTINE ISLAND - Group 1 Listening Thread

[LJT]

Onto Laz's:

Prince is always great as an opener and this entry definitely has a different feel and vibe compared to the other entries so far. In general, it is a much groovier and funkier start than what others have gone with and it is very much appreciated. Songhoy Blues is a new one for myself, but Mali produces quite a few amazing artists, such as Amadou & Miriam, Ali Farka Toure and I think Tinariwen are from there to? I toyed with adding a Salif Keita track to my list but it fell by the wayside.

Mellencamp I have never really listened to much of. He is one of those big American artists who never seems to have jumped much over the pond. I liked the track though and need to maybe give him another look if you have any particular recommendations?

There were a few tracks in the first half I wasn’t that into like the Ace Frehley and Rickie Lee Jones, however I still felt they fit in with the flow and sound you were aiming for.

There were a few surprising tracks such as Rancid’s as I had a very different pre-conception of what they sounded like, which was then followed up by Busy Signal. Which initially confused me because isn’t this just Lourde’s Royals? But a google sorted me out, thought it was a fun different version of the track though. Sinead O Connor I think at times remains underrated mainly due to her troubled life, and probably even within Ireland as well, so it was cool to see her dropped in there. Another surprise was the Lady Gaga song which I had to double take whether that was Gwen Stefani or not!

The closing section of the first half was brilliant, I really enjoyed it from Space on down. I love Tracey Thorn and Underworld and as well. La Femme were new to me but I loved the sound of it, it’s something I could imagine enjoying at a local indie club (if such a thing will ever survive this!).

So just finished the first half so far will give the second a spin tomorrow and finish off my thoughts.

 

[Axver]

Funny that you pointed out Slide, that transition from Flyin into Slide was one of my proudest moments with this list! Same instrument, same key. It is a jump sonically, but from a broader view, it introduces a more pop forward section of the list while momentarily upping the tempo. It's one of the handful of concessions I made to prevent the list from getting too static. Like LJT said in one of his commentaries, sometimes it's good to be a little jarring.

As you know, I don't have the musical vocabulary that you do, I've always gone by some sort of intangible feel or intuition rather than pairing songs based on same key. Sit there and listen to transitions for a bit until I find one that my ears like. But I wasn't so much criticising your transition into Slide as I was just the whole song itself. It felt out of place aesthetically. I guess it's the production. Everything else works together to advance and evolve a pretty clear sonic concept, while that track... it sounded like what I'd hear pumping out of one of the numerous mediocre clubs here in central Wollongong if they were still open.

Apologies for disappearing for a while there. I was extremely (non-COVID) sick the last few days and had no mind to do anything except sleep and work.

But today I feel quite rejuvenated and ready to pick back up on Ax's list.

Oh no, good to hear you're feeling better today. Nobody should have to work while extremely sick either (I say as someone hopeless at taking sick leave when it's available and far too ready to push through when it's not).

I was just playing a trivia quiz game that involved listening to and naming shows that belonged to TV theme songs. I feel like this Save Ends song could have been a pretty good candidate for TV theme.

Somebody line them up with a show, I'm sure they could use the cash right about now.

 

[cobl04]

I've listened to Axver's list! My overall thoughts are that, of lists I've listened to so far, this one did the best job of capturing a series of emotions, particularly one specific to iso.

I can't say I was a big fan of the first portion. Orbweavers left me pretty meh, although if they do have a lot to do with Melbourne I'm interested to know for sure. (In fact, which other artists on your playlist are Aussie and where are they from?) This first portion is all a style of music that I just don't really dig - dancey synth pop. There are SO many artists doing it and it just all runs together in my opinion. It's not bad at all, but it just does little for me. Chromatics are the one caveat in this run, I feel like they always have a jaggier edge to their take on it and I love them.

BODY/PRISON snapped me right out of the funk, this was the first track that really grabbed my intention. I've like this more "metal" style of dance music, and I definitely want to hear more of it. The only other song from the genre I've heard is this one, which I always liked, though BODY/PRISON is better.

The list started to come to life for me around this time. My housemate, who is more into metal etc, was very impressed when I was playing the Caspian song, he asked if it was Explosions in the Sky. Stripped good too. Relief was quite nice, interested to know more about her. I can't quite get into Cable Ties, sadly. I'm sure I saw them play this song at Thornbury Bowlo late last year, that was a great day. Just not big on her vocals.

Definitely echo the others who've pointed to Press Club - this was an outstanding discovery for mine, loved this song. It precipitated probably my favourite part of the playlist, too, enjoyed just about every track for the next half an hour and will need to listen through it again to pick up on more tracks. Slowdive don't do a great deal for me, All Your Yeahs I actually was surprised to see was Beach House, guess they do have more than one sound. I can't say the last portion did much for me. All fine, but kind of in one ear and out the other, although the sleepmakeswaves track did catch my attention.

Great job!

 

[Axver]

Cheers Cobbs, really glad you enjoyed large chunks of it, and to answer your question about band origins:

Australia: 10 - The Orbweavers, Woodes, Kayo, Cable Ties, Press Club, Infinite Void, Major Leagues, Suldusk, Sleepmakeswaves, Flyying Colours (all from/currently based in VIC except Major Leagues, QLD, and Sleepmakeswaves, NSW)

New Zealand: 5 - Repulsive Woman, Mermaidens, Death and the Maiden, Purple Pilgrims, Nadia Reid (three are Dunedin, Purple Pilgrims are Christchurch, Mermaidens are Wellington)

US: 14 - Angel Olsen, Chromatics, The Hundred in the Hands, Health, Shana Falana, Caspian, La Dispute, Save Ends, The End of the Ocean, Landing, Beach House, Erica Freas, Purity Ring, Young Ejecta

UK: 3 - Marnie, Midas Fall, Slowdive

France: 1 - Perturbator

The Netherlands: 2 - Gold, Habitants

Germany: 1 - Bullet Height (but really a Brit and a Yank)

Canada: 1 - Young Galaxy

Re: Press Club, I'm stoked everyone's enjoying that, interesting to see the comments. I feel it's so similar to the Cable Ties track that it was a bit indulgent for me to include both, but I decided not to pick between them - I prefer the Cable Ties song (just love the "kicking down sandcastles" bit at the end), but also really keen on the Press Club one and the lyrics right now are pretty apt.

Re: Health - I could actually use more artists in their space, don't really know that many. If anyone has suggestions of stuff like Death Magic in particular, that would be awesome. (Also, their collaborative singles lately have been interesting. A mixed bag, but the one with Soccer Mommy, Mass Grave, was another contender for my list.)

 

[cobl04]

Re: Press Club, I'm stoked everyone's enjoying that, interesting to see the comments. I feel it's so similar to the Cable Ties track that it was a bit indulgent for me to include both, but I decided not to pick between them - I prefer the Cable Ties song (just love the "kicking down sandcastles" bit at the end), but also really keen on the Press Club one and the lyrics right now are pretty apt.

Disagree... Press Club feels much more indie rock to me than Cable Ties, which is far more punk. At least to my ears. Anyway, excited to get into Press Club!

 

[bono_212]

Ugh, sorry Ax, your poor list has just been the victim of all kinds of scheduling conflicts.

But I have now completed it! And I love it!

The biggest difference for me between your list and Travis' (which I have heard, but not commented on yet), is that I knew only one song on your list. I am sure I've heard the Purity Ring, Beach House, Angel Olsen and Chromatics songs before, but I didn't KNOW them. I really love hearing a lot of new songs I enjoy a lot, and your list was chock full of them (additions to my DI Recommendations playlist are plentiful), but it's difficult for me to decide how much it matters if I knew so very little, on an enjoyment level, if that makes sense.

I think I'm rambling, I'm not sure what my point is.

What was that Bono ramble? Oh wait, no, it's a Allen Ginsberg by way of Bono: I'm trying to get to the point.

I love your list, that's it. I really enjoy it quite a bit and I love how many great new songs I picked up from it. I do wish I'd known just a few more, but that comes down to a lack of new musical experience for me in recent years than any actual issue.

Ok, I'm done. Thank you for the music!

 

[bono_212]

Peef, you're up next (Laz, I'm not skipping your list, I have to share this Spotify account with Travis, and I have windows of opportunity to do so, so I'm trying to get this in while I am able).

 

[bono_212]

Oh shit, this opener + the cover art is genius.

 

[gump]

Finished Axver's last night:

This is certainly your DI playlist that I enjoyed the most, and while it’s still early in the competition, it’s one of my favorite ones so far. A lot of overlaps with LM’s sound, especially in the beginning, but it’s distinctive enough that I don’t think they will blur in my mind as time passes. I didn’t know the vast majority of your artists, which is a good plus, and have added a bunch of them to my list of things to check out.

Lovely opening song - I had never heard of the Orbweavers and will check them out. And super smooth transition to All Mirrors turning things up a notch.

I was expecting a Chromatics song in this early stretch and was pleased when Time Rider started.

Ax, I know you are very meticulous about transitions, but you have outdone yourself in this early go. The strings between All Mirrors and How Long I’d Wait and then the drum beat to Time Rider worked so well here.

Repulsive Woman was great

This La Dispute song is good, but the mix annoyed me a bit (kind of Exit-extreme of too low at the start and too loud at the end).

The GOLD/Cable Ties/Press Club was pretty good, though it’s the kind of music that requires me to be in a certain mood to enjoy. I hear a bit of earlier Sleater-Kinney in Sandcastles.

The Save Ends track was felt a bit out of place. It felt like a late-1990s/early-2000s pop-rock song. But the next song by Major League immediately gets us back on the flow though.

The second half of Jupiter is quite something. What a crescendo.

The dreampop/shoegaze stretch in the back half is excellent (did not expect it different from you) and consistent. The Landing song is so reminiscent of Yo La Tengo circa I Can Hear the Heart...

Hey, a band I know (Slowdive). I always like them when I hear them, but never go back to their albums. Good reminder that I should. Nice use of Beach House here too. A ll Your Yeahs has such a fantastic bass line - one of my favorite live songs of theirs.

The short folk-influenced section later on also pleased me a great deal, particularly Quinn by Erica Freas.

I haven’t listened to the new Purity Ring more than once or twice, nice to see you’ve incorporated one of their songs here already.

It’s Tomorrow Now works as a closer lyrically, but left me wanting a bit more to transition out of your playlist.

Overall, as I said earlier, really excellent stuff, and very enjoyable. Great job, Ax.

Laz is next, this afternoon.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

J Dunk does Beach House have some connection to Philadelphia I'm not aware of? I thought they formed in Baltimore and have always been based there.

The band is based out of Baltimore; Victoria Legrand is from the Philadelphia area. She went to high school on the Main Line.

 

[bono_212]

Well this is quite enjoyable, Jerry, (Sorry, I mentally have completely forgot that you have a new username), and I also really LOVED the hip-hop you used at the beginning. I didn't know most of it, but that's my favorite sound in the genre, so I loved the songs very much.

Some of the transitions at the beginning were a little suspect, but overall, I feel the music has played itself well together.

One thing I'm surprised about and maybe I shouldn't be is how much emo is on here. I don't recall you being a fan, but it might be something I've overlooked over the years.

 

[bono_212]

Well shit, Spotify autoplays songs that are similar after a playlist is over? I think I heard about five more songs than are actually on your playlist .

I quite liked the playlist, JD! A nice mix of new and old to me music, not to mention a few real gems and a lot of artists I'm going to be checking out, from the beginning of the list.

Oh, also, I really enjoyed the fact that you used a song by Tim and then also used Myth, whose video is directed by Eric

 

[gump]

Technical question - is there an easy way to import Laz's M3U playlist into the Music app on a Mac? When I try importing it as a playlist it shows as empty.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

Probably no surprise the first portion of the list generally did not do much for me. Of the hiphop tracks, I most enjoyed The Roots, and the Meek Mill song got better as it went along. I also found "Wolfman Jack" hella cheesy, and Sheer Mag isn't really my thing either. All of that said, I thought this was put together well.

I felt like the shift to Beach Slang was a bit abrupt but also I'm totally keen to get into this section, and this is a solid tune. Funnily enough I gave the relevant Beach Slang album a poor rating on RYM but maybe I should revisit it. I fucking love the Balance & Composure track, and the whole album it's from; "Hear You" is also excellent. Most of the emo/emo-adjacent artists from Beach Slang through to Modern Baseball are bands I've seen in concert supporting/co-headlining other acts I'm really into, but never listened to much themselves. So this was a fun reminder of some stuff I hadn't heard for a while.

Turns out Tim Heidecker does not at all do what I thought. I'd assumed this would be electronic or ambient. Would've preferred that, to be honest. I kinda wandered off a bit around this point in the list but Purling Hiss really stood out and brought me back in. I'd swear I'd listened to them before but RYM suggests not enough to rate anything, and this track encourages me to listen more.

Didn't think I'd dig the Kurt Vile track much but it's pretty neat really. The whole run from Purling Hiss to The War on Drugs has been enjoyable - standouts include Beach House (almost my favourite song on Bloom) and Queen of Jeans. I'd have concluded the whole list with The War on Drugs tbh. "An Ocean..." builds so, so well and it would be an emphatic full stop on the list. I didn't find the last three tracks particularly memorable so that sorta solidified that view.

Anyway - some passages I quite enjoyed, some stuff I didn't dig, generally put together well and I certainly hadn't realised how many of these artists are associated with Philly. It won't surprise me if this list does well.

Appreciate the feedback. I did have a realization shortly after all of the lists came back that the middle section with the emo bands would be a funny connection with you, considering how at the poles our tastes have been at times.

Peef: I'm not familiar enough with your DI history so I can't say something like "you've truly outdone yourself" but this was a memorable tour through your city, and the personal nature of portraying something you identify with so strongly through music made this a more resonating listen. Granted, a lot of my initial reactions consisted of "Hmph, I didn't realize they were from Philly!" but there were pleasures beyond those shocks. I had already read comments here about the Tim Heidecker song, and it still surprised me. I think this had the most songs I already knew out of the lists I've heard so far, but I don't mean that in a negative way at all. There were still a fair number of artists I didn't know that I'd like to check out further.

This is the first playlist I've done that had any ambition beyond fitting songs together well, so in that respect, I do think I've contributed more than I normally have. Heidecker and Man Man both were Philly to LA pipeline artists for you.

Alright, Jerry Dunk. The goal was to capture the feeling of a city, and it delivered on that front. You get the sense of traveling through distinct neighborhoods - some of them more indebted to the past, some of them more modern, and others nearly forgotten.

The stretch at the very end highlights how awesome straight-up indie rock can be. I hadn't heard Ocean Between the Waves in a while and it really struck me in this context. Artists I made notes to look into further were Vacationer and Purling Hiss.

I saw Vacationer at an early show of theirs, at a tiny venue in South Philly (same place I first saw Julien Baker play). They were a ton of fun.

My favorite track in the hip-hop section was definitely the Toro y Moi track. Great production.
Honestly not a fan of that Lil Uzi Vert song at all. Maybe I'm out of touch.
These DI lists always feature so many artists that I've been meaning to look into but just never have. Todd Rundgren is one of those. I liked this song. All I know about him is he produced XTC's Skylarking, which is one of my favorite albums (and I used a track from it on my list this time).
Sheer Mag and Beach Slang were both good follow ups to the Rundgren track, and I like this section of the list a lot.
The Ween song was really cool, and was the most overtly Philadelphia track on the list in terms of lyrical content, at least that I could tell.
Hall and Oates feel so cheesy to me.
Tim Heidecker is a living legend.
Japanese Breakfast! This is one of my favorite tracks on the list. That refrain is so addictive.
And the best moment of the list for me is "Myth" by Beach House. I had completely forgotten about this song and it is without question my favorite Beach House song. Was a joy to hear it again after a bunch of years, and in this context. And following it up with War on Drugs worked brilliantly, too. One of my favorite back to back track selections I've heard on any of the playlists so far. Good shit.

The Ween even song name checks a street I have lived on at one point.

Peef:

Like others, I was surprised to realize some of these artists were from Philly. Like Hop Along? I was sure they were from Texas (in hindsight clearly because of that one song). I was aware of Kurt Vile/War on Drugs, but a bunch of names caught me by surprise.

I heard over half of your playlist while running so while I took mental note of each song I didn’t write anything down as I was listening to it. Some of what comes below is piecing things together afterwards.

I like the tongue in cheek aspect of the opener (which you mentioned earlier). The hip hop sequence didn’t fully capture me until it got to The Roots. I got Phrenology a couple of months ago and have been enjoying it a lot. The beat in this song is so good.

The Todd Rundgren-Sheermag duo was one of the parts I enjoyed the most. I

Although I’ve only spent like 3 days in Philly, this Beach Slang - Cayetana - The Wonder Years.- Balance and Composure felt very much like a distinctive Philly sound.

Balance and Composure reminded me so much of Interpol (this song made me specifically think of PDA).

I love this Waxahatchee song (is Out in the Storm her best album? She’s so consistent, it’s impossible to tell. It used to be Cerulean Salt but I don’t know anymore). And a pretty great stretch into Modern Ball (I need to listen to them) and Ween.

The Dr. Dog song may have been one of my favorite discoveries from your playlist.

Man, the lyrics of Work from Home are eerily appropriate. Waiting for the sickness to just go away.

Another good discovery: the Queen of Jeans song. I guess it’s standard indie rock, but I like the voice of the singer.

Myth and An Ocean in Between the Waves are possibly my favorite songs from each of these artists - I think the transition was a bit clunky here (and leading into The Fox in Motion) but quickly forgot about it. I find Hop Along to be criminally underrated, they were able to maintain a classic indie rock sound when everyone seemed to be moving in different directions, but keeping it interesting always.

I really loved the closing duo. I don’t know The Districts, but that is a great closing song.

Overall, I’m really happy your playlist made me discover a bunch of new artists, and correct my geographic ignorance/unawareness about a bunch of artists. And you managed to keep the flow, with compelling songs throughout. The final stretch, though more familiar to me, was particularly good. Great job all around.

The Districts are a relatively young band from central PA (Lititz, right outside Lancaster) that moved to Philly once they achieved enough success to make it full time. They're pretty prominent in the scene now, to the point where you will run into their band members around town. I live a couple blocks from their favorite bar.

Jerry Dunk - I expected to enjoy this one quite a bit and I did. I thought there was very strong flow throughout the list in spite of the variety present. As many have mentioned already, it's impressive how many talented artists come out of Philly/eastern PA and as someone who has visited Philly and Upper Darby on several occasions, I felt at home with the vibe you were presenting.

There were two primary modes on this list: hip hop and indie rock, but I actually enjoyed some of what fell outside of those two camps the most. The Todd Rundgren, Hall and Oates and Ween tracks were highlights for me and tbh I think some more Philly soul to tie them together would have been really cool.

If I have any complaint about the flow of the list, I would just say that some of the indie rock sections ran on a little long and I started to zone out around tracks 15-16. Otherwise, you did very well balancing a number of different genres and a couple transitions took me by surprise in a good way. I'll go on record as saying the opening duo, including the divisive Marian Anderson track, worked very well.

Highlights:

-Being reminded of how good Dreams and Nightmares is
-Todd Rundgren
-Impressive transition from Todd into Sheer Mag
-Ween
-Hall and Oates
-The lyrics on that Tim Heidecker song
-Kurt Vile, as always
-Beach House--->Alex G run was quality

Lowlights:

-P2 over XO Tour Llif3 is like drinking skim milk over the real deal
-Some of the indie rock section in the middle was a little samey and meh
-Thought the closer sounded like some shit from an early 2010s car commercial

My original tongue-in-cheek opener idea was to open with Dreams and Nightmares to shoutout the Eagles' Super Bowl entrance. It was actually from that decision that I decided to just make an all-Philly list, even if it didn't remain the opener.

I will say I wrestled with the closer for a long time, and how to end the playlist was the thing I struggled with the most. It originally had a totally different ending that I scrapped, and changed most of the songs for those artists based on that decision. I originally had the Districts "Violet" in the middle part of the playlist as I started to transition away from emo and into indie. I don't regret choosing the song you didn't enjoy, I think it's great, but I also think I probably have bias because I've seen them perform it live and it really takes off there.

Well this is quite enjoyable, Jerry, (Sorry, I mentally have completely forgot that you have a new username), and I also really LOVED the hip-hop you used at the beginning. I didn't know most of it, but that's my favorite sound in the genre, so I loved the songs very much.

Some of the transitions at the beginning were a little suspect, but overall, I feel the music has played itself well together.

One thing I'm surprised about and maybe I shouldn't be is how much emo is on here. I don't recall you being a fan, but it might be something I've overlooked over the years.

Your memory isn't fooling you, I'm not really an emo fan! My friend really likes Anthony Green from Circa, and took me to a show of his, and I thought he had a better voice than most emo artists, so that got me interested in Circa a bit. And the rest have mostly been from seeing these bands locally opening for one another and seeing some memorable shows. The Philly emo scene is interesting and fun, even if it's not my favorite genre. There's a church one neighborhood over from me that hosts a lot of punk and emo shows in its basement, and that's where a lot of that has gotten built up. I also will admit I had to do my own research on these bands' back catalogs to sort out that part of the list. It was a learning experience for me as well.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

I'm also really happy to hear that "Hoodrich Disco" went over as well as it did, that's not a well known song but I've loved blasting it at parties over the last couple of years.

 

[the tourist]

Onto Axver’s list after a few days of hiatus - I’m trying to balance listening to these lists and mixing and mastering music. But I should be though the first group by the end of next weekend at this point.

Through the first bit, these songs really flow together well. Sometimes that can be a problem because you can get lost and three songs pass. It wasn’t the case here though as some songs still grabbed my attention. Angel Olsen continues to be an artist I keep hearing and liking, so I’m now following her on Spotify. Also, I almost used Time Rider on my playlist, so that speaks to how much I like it. The Dry and How Long I’d Wait are both pleasant songs, and while they didn’t excite me massively, I thought they fit perfectly. Come With Me was a bit difficult for me though. Something about the overdistorted lo-fi was offputting. Beasts also stood out as something where I made a note of the artist. Not sure I’ll investigate further, but I liked it. Alphabet Bock was also good. I’m not sure I’ll revisit some of these because wow I’m discovering a lot. I’ve been pretty out of the loop on certain genres for awhile now.

BODY/PRISONER was not my favorite, but then Stripped reminded me of some alternate universe version of something that The Cure would have written. And then comes Caspian, and there’s vintage Axver. Reminds me of a heavier version of Unwed Sailer - you should definitely check out their album Heavy Age at some point if you haven’t already. I really like the melody on Relief. Making a note to come back to this artist. FULTON STREET I reminds me of a specific era in the early 00s. It reminds me of being in my early 20s and what people said was cool back then. Like Thursday or mewithoutyou. I really like the instrumentation. Don’t care much for the vocals. And He Is Not did the same sort of thing for me, but reminded me of Sunny Day Real Estate. I liked this one more. Separate Houses and Sandcastles fit in with the vibe that was going. Great flow here.

The guitar at the beginning (and throughout) Fading Light is striking. Love that sound. But then, remember what I said early on about songs all melting together? The next section did just that for me. I intentionally looked at the artists names and song titles, but that section is kinda blurry for me. That obviously changed at The End Of The Ocean, which is another vintage Axver. And at this point I have to take a break from the list - I have a couple meetings at work. Should pick it back up in a few hours though.

 

[lazarus]

Technical question - is there an easy way to import Laz's M3U playlist into the Music app on a Mac? When I try importing it as a playlist it shows as empty.

Hmm, I did some tests after I exported to make sure it was working and it seemed fine on my end.

Did you try dragging all the individual tracks along with the m3u into the app?



More comments about my listening to come, haven't had a chance to sit down at write at length!

 

[gump]

Hmm, I did some tests after I exported to make sure it was working and it seemed fine on my end.

Did you try dragging all the individual tracks along with the m3u into the app?

That didn't seem to work, but I've imported all the songs and ordered them myself. I'm probably doing something wrong on my end. Excited to start this (doubly so because you are using Tim Maia).

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Axver's list:

Really digging the start of this thing, as women are taking center stage on vocals, and the songs are all generally lovely. I think I need to listen to some Chromatics albums in full.
The Hundred in the Hands song rocks! This is great. Love that guitar tone.
This Health/Perturbator song sounds eerily like early Nine Inch Nails.
A Depeche Mode cover! That's funny, I was honestly thinking this section of the playlist would be a good fit for a DM song. It just felt like them.
Annnnnnnnd Caspian is where I fear you're going to start losing me a bit. Just not a big fan of long, instrumental post-rock like this. This is the kind of song I think of when I think of an Axver playlist, and I was pleasantly surprised that there was nothing like this in the first section haha.
Oh wait...with the next song we are immediately back to enjoyable tunes with vocals!
Cable Ties is my favorite song in this section so far. Holy shit, they sound like Sleater-Kinney.
I wonder if the title "Mr. C's Amazing Trip" is a Twin Peaks reference. There was a character named Mr. C on the third season of that show which came out in May of 2017 and it looks like this song came out in October of 2017. Probably not, just a thought.
As far as instrumentals go, I prefer this End of the Ocean one to the Caspian one.
Slowdive -> Beach House is a great duo, and my favorite stretch of this section.
Nadia Reid sounds like Danielle Haim.
Ah, the third interlude. The End of the Ocean emerges victorious as my favorite of the three.
I fucking love Purity Ring. This is one of my favorite songs on the list.
This final section has ***good flow***.
Flyying Colours is a rocking closer.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and of the 5 lists it had easily the highest number of artists I didn't previously know. And I appreciate that. The best section for my money was the opening section.

Good shit.

 

[LJT]

Hmm, I did some tests after I exported to make sure it was working and it seemed fine on my end.

Did you try dragging all the individual tracks along with the m3u into the app?



More comments about my listening to come, haven't had a chance to sit down at write at length!

I had to rebuild the list as well in my music player, no biggy mind just the playlist couldn't locate the tracks.

 

[Jerry Dunk]

LeMel, another very strong entry from you. I feel like I should almost grade you on a curve because of your vast music knowledge, combined with experience in this format before, but that's obviously nothing I will hold against you. A good mixture of music I know and like, and some new discoveries from artists I'm less familiar with. The opening track was a great example of a song I had not heard before but immediately took to.

The stretch leading up to your closing pair is definitely outside of my own music tastes. That older sound just isn't generally my cup of tea. But it's impeccably well sequenced and flows great, as does the whole list. I'd say I definitely prefer the first half to the second half, and the second may suffer a bit from the length of the list as a whole because it, to my ears, lacks some of the peaks of the first half. Those are nitpicky criticisms, though. It's a great entry, and one I expect will be there as this tournament comes to an end.

 

[the tourist]

Picking up where I left off, and it’s strong. Catacombs is huge, and it’s funny because I was just reading about certain recording/production techniques, and the vocalist takes advantage of one of those here: the mixed-in whisper along with the lead. It is a perfect usage. I’m certain I will listen to this song more, and more from the artist. Borders and Jupiter kinda lost me a bit, but then Oooh Baby In The Chorus drew me right back in. Love that instrumentation. And something about the melody of Second Sight reminded me of the first My Bloody Valentine song I ever heard, which happens to by Strawberry Wine. I love that song, and since this reminds me of that, it’s a definite plus. Which is great to transition into Slowdive. That instrumental about 2/3rds through is just pure warmth.

All Your Yeahs was a perfectly alright Beach House song. I actually didn’t know it was the because admittedly I’m not much of a fan of Beach House. I haven’t kept up on them in maybe eight years? I liked the guitars. I’m Not Saying was good. There are a lot of songs in this list that I think are good or perfectly fine that don’t wow me into really wanting to dig into an artist later. I don’t expect to be wowed though. Ha! This is coming off more negative than I meant it to. It’s really consistent if nothing else, and there hasn’t been anything I’ve hated so far. So that’s good. But my point is that I feel like I’ve left the same comment for some of these songs over and over. Right On Time fits with that thought. So does Quinn. And then there’s another Vintage Axver song with Cascades.

Stardew and Build A Fire grabbed my attention. This is good shit right here. I think at one point I heard a Purity Ring song. If it was anything like this, I don’t know why on earth I didn’t look into them further. Never heard of Young Ejecta before but I think I need to listen to both of these artists going forward. Wild Words kinda lost me. I didn’t care for it. Something about it reminded me of bands I didn’t like from about 15 years ago. Long Live The Fallen World sounds like Garbage a bit to me, which is okay. The ending was great though. And then It’s Tomorrow know was a little like suffocation in the production, like a couple songs off Travis’ list. The abrupt ending was actually a nice touch.

Final Thoughts:

My highlights include songs that I knew and loved before or new discoveries that I really liked. That includes the songs by Angel Olsen, Chromatics, Suldusk, Death and the Maiden, Purity Ring, and Young Ejecta.

My least favorite part was how songs just seem to blend together in my memory already. But that’s also kind of a good thing because it means the flow was really good. There were very few songs that I didn’t care for/actively disliked.

In echoing my thoughts about Travis’ list, I feel like since the last time I participated in a Desert Island, your tastes have changed. Not completely, for sure, because there were still Vintage Axver songs in there, and also because there was a lot of stuff I’d consider to be in the dreampop/shoegaze realm of musical subgenres. But some of the poppier stuff caught me just a little offguard, and I liked that. Thanks for putting together another really good entry into the history of Desert Island!

 

[Joey788]

My thoughts on LM’s playlist.

- I really enjoyed this one. It was a great mix of songs and artists I know and love, and plenty more that I want to dig into. The songs slipped between different rhythms and moods seamlessly and it was a ton of fun to listen to.
- Those opening four songs were fantastic. I especially love how it went from this light electronica vibe until when the beat kicks in on “Empire Ants.” With that change, the playlist shifted to meet it with heavier rhythms and vibrant dance tunes going forward.
- “Hit Me Where It Hurts” through “Superbike” is one of my favorite runs I’ve heard in this DI so far. It had such a great kinetic energy between all those songs. “Flesh Without Blood” is one of my top Grimes songs and The Jezebels sounds like a group I should check out.
- The Beths, Kero Kero Benito and Rocketship are all artists that are now on my discovery queue for the coming weeks.
- Placing that low-key synthy ending of the Rocketship song right before the chilled-out segment of your playlist was another excellent move. I listened to this segment on Sunday evening, and grooving out to it as the sun went down fit really well.
- “Something to Believe” and “Sister” is a brilliant couplet.
- The following few throwback songs didn’t do much for me. They were all fine to listen to but didn’t really draw me in or stay with me.
- But the closing trilogy was great. Going from “Blackpath” to “Werewolf” to “Exile Vilify” felt like returning to Earth after some time in the clouds.
- Also, “Exile Vilify” is one of The National’s most underrated songs. It definitely deserved to be on a proper album and should be in their regular setlist rotation.
- There are some playlists where I get a lot of tunes out them but don’t return to the actual playlist after DI concludes. But this is one to save and keep on my Spotify. It’s the perfect type of listen for a long trip to just relax and get lost in the varied sounds.

 

[cobl04]

Sadly, I think when I tried to get into Jezabels I struggled to find even one song that was even half as good as Endless Summer.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I didn’t even know this thread existed.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Hi world. Bare with me.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

David C - first takes... I annotate as I listen.


1. Kendrick Lamar - "Blow My High (Members Only)" - Section.80 (3:36)

Kendrick really doesn’t catch me, though I wouldn’t say I don’t like him. With that being said, given the lack of continuity from this song to the next, I entirely forgot about it.


2. T. Rex - "Cosmic Dancer" - Electric Warrior (4:30)

The set officially started here in memory. Unfamiliar with T. Rex, and I was quite a fan of the stringiness here. Got a little bit Santana’y later on, maybe my only personal preference I’d do without, but you’ve certainly intrigued me to explore the artist. And I’m now back to vibing and setting down with the music.


3. Bruce Cockburn - "If I Had A Rocket Launcher" - Stealing Fire (4:59)

I’m flying with this. Never heard it. It’s got pizzaz, clearly political, with a kiss of sarcasm? Maybe, maybe not. There’s some dark 80s chill to this that sort of smells like Billy Idol.


4. The Joel Plaskett Emergency - "Waiting to Be Discovered" - Down at the Khyber (4:17)

The Canadian Oasis? I feel like this is North American britpop. Almost like if the New Radicals were timeless and classy.


5. Mac Miller - "What's the Use?" - Swimming (4:49)

You phased into a Mac Miller song about as well as you could’ve here, which I can appreciate given the challenges I faced with doing so in my own list with material I wanted to share. Admittedly I haven’t listened to much of any Mac Miller, and while this song isn’t necessarily going to make me listen to any more, I will say I’m pleasantly surprised with everything in the song minus him. It’s silky smooth - id listen to the karaoke version of this song for sure.


6. Daft Punk - "Da Funk" - Homework (5:34)

Daft Punk is playing in my house... I think my opinion of Daft Punk is strangely nonexistent given how mega massive Daft Punk is. Definitely helps to have headphones in for this, as I can pick up the stereo here and it’s quite valuable. In general I gotta say, I’m a pretty big fan of french musicians in general, across the board. Total aside, but stuff like French rap etc.... can usually pull me away from generally not liking a genre. Daft Punk probably does that with house music, too. This sorta just had my brain thinkin.


7. Chance the Rapper ft. Noname - "Lost" - Acid Rap (3:05)

The piano here is really enjoyable. And the bass is about as bassic as you can be while still being a wave to ride. It’s a cute song. I’m not sure how I got here, but I feel like it’s more the theme of the playlist in general. Sweet chili chill. Heck, even when it’s dark, it’s chill.


8. Pink FLoyd - "Wot's...Uh the Deal" - Obscured by Clouds (5:10)

The theme continues, but Pink Floyd is very mundane to me. I’m gaining more of the vibe from the inclusion here, which is a contribution to the architecture, but but for the amount of noise they’re creating, it’s a confusing tune of “yelling chill at you with my smooth voice.”


9. Talking Heads - "Life During Wartime" - Fear of Music (3:41)

We’ve shaken things back up here again, rechanneling back to the thought of if I had a rocket launcher. We are protesting in style. Funky? Funky style. I know so little of Talking Heads, but what little I hear, I always like. I’ll take my opportunity to psychoanalyze here, but I suspect that your time in uniform, your general pacifism, and your taste in music are why this type of song is your thing. If so, I like it.


10. Madvillain - "Do Not Fire!" - Madvillainy (0:53)

Some Wax Tailor kinda stuff here. THIS is what I need. Stereo much approved, clear and clever way to just shake up this list and induce some energy. I tried to get some mental dissonance in my own list like this, a few times.


11. Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Out of Touch" - Big Bam Boom (4:10)

So we’ve been to Dave’s land in Nova Scotia, and now here we are listening to the Eagles. I mean, the Phillies. The style and theme is preserved, but we are gaining some energy. Hall & Oates are fantastic, and that song is too.



12. The Rolling Stones - "Ventilator Blues" - Exile on Main Street (3:25)

The transition is shaky here, since the song has the drive but takes a while to pick up. Never heard this Stones song. Certainly less timeless, but in an appreciative way. Almost in the sense that you can appreciate their history.


13. Thundercat ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Lil B - "Fair Chance" - It Is What It Is (3:58)

Sort of a sawtooth wave going on where with the songs. I’ve not a clue who this is, but I’m a faaaaaaaan so I thank you for this. The little treble peaks are nice. We’re clearly coming back down here.


14. The Tragically Hip - "Impossibilium" - Day For Night (4:06)

Ah, back to Canuckistan. It’s amazing to me just how much he sounded like Michael Stipe, but maybe I’m the only one who hears that. The bass here is really driving the melody, which I enjoy.


15. J. Dilla ft. Common, D'Angelo - "So Far to Go" - The Shining (5:37)

This could’ve really siphoned off of #13 for flow! Though I only know that because it’s already so close, so the vibe is carrying over still. I’ve accepted by now that we are dancing around, and really there’s a bounce back and forth between the two Daves here and that’s cool. I’m absolutely loving this tune... again dunno who it is, but that’s a good thing in my books.


16. Slade - "How Does it Feel" - Slade in Flame (5:55)

You sure know how to close the show! Probably my favorite song on the list. Maybe. Not sure. But it’s a killer closer, an emotional banger. Dig the flute, too, and I think this song was a few years ahead of its time.






Overall thoughts - I didn’t know much of the list, and in most cases didn’t even know the artists, so this was very exploratory for me. I know that will probably be the same with everyone’s list. I do sense two rotating sub themes that compete for my ears, that are intertwined through the list. Ultimately, I think this is the material you wanted to share, and architecting it this way was wiser than splitting it two ways, which could’ve resulted in two totally different Dave EPs with a stark cut between the two. That being said, it did pay the price in terms of the transitioning, but I can absolutely appreciate that as I’m going to be suffering a similar fate when folks listen to mine, I’m sure. Got to explore a little bit of Dave’s brain space, or so I think, but happy to be told I’m a dumb butthead idiot who can’t read for shit. Thanks Mr. C

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Obviously my style of commentary mightn’t next sustainable, now that I see how much I wrote on an hourlong playlist [emoji28] I’m hurrying to catch up, going to try to do 2-3 tomorrow.

Last thought on Dave’s... I appreciate the personal nature of the artwork.

 

[Axver]

Really appreciate the comments from gump, Ashley, GAF, and tourist - cheers to all of you! Enjoyed your reactions and I'm glad to have perhaps given each of you a few decent new discoveries.

I wonder if the title "Mr. C's Amazing Trip" is a Twin Peaks reference. There was a character named Mr. C on the third season of that show which came out in May of 2017 and it looks like this song came out in October of 2017. Probably not, just a thought.

Been wondering myself where the song title comes from! The lyrics don't seem to give a clue.

Some comments on tourist's thoughts:

And then comes Caspian, and there’s vintage Axver. Reminds me of a heavier version of Unwed Sailer - you should definitely check out their album Heavy Age at some point if you haven’t already.

Don't worry, I'm well familiar with Unwed Sailor! And haha I've been enjoying the "vintage Axver" remarks about certain tracks. I wondered how much this list might surprise people, since I think I was known for a few specific genres back in the 2000s and a whole lot of water has passed under the bridge since then.

The guitar at the beginning (and throughout) Fading Light is striking. Love that sound.

Infinite Void (whose name I reckon sounds like a black metal act rather than a post-punk one) basically have that guitar tone all over both of their albums. I discovered them when they opened for Swervedriver about seven or so years ago and they just blew Swervedriver off the stage. The second they finished I went to the merch desk to buy whatever they had. I'm all over their guitar tone and their live performances were always great. I count myself fortunate to have seen them a few times before they broke up.

Picking up where I left off, and it’s strong. Catacombs is huge, and it’s funny because I was just reading about certain recording/production techniques, and the vocalist takes advantage of one of those here: the mixed-in whisper along with the lead. It is a perfect usage. I’m certain I will listen to this song more, and more from the artist.

Be warned, she does include some black metal elsewhere on Lunar Falls. Most of the album is like Catacombs but some of it has passages of black metal shrieking and riffing - off memory it's in three tracks, Solus Ipse, Aphasia, and Sovran Shines.

She very much straddles the boundary between dark folk and black metal. What I like is that she goes more for the dark folk side with a little black metal while most acts go more black metal with just some dark folk interludes or passages.

(I still remember when Shepp Daniel listened to one of my old DI lists, enjoyed a recent Anathema track, and got quite the surprise when the first Anathema record he downloaded was front-to-back death growls. )

Stardew and Build A Fire grabbed my attention. This is good shit right here. I think at one point I heard a Purity Ring song. If it was anything like this, I don’t know why on earth I didn’t look into them further. Never heard of Young Ejecta before but I think I need to listen to both of these artists going forward.

If you liked that Purity Ring song, it's from the new album Womb that dropped earlier this month - but you might maybe enjoy the previous album, Another Eternity, more. Stardew is one of Womb's songs that is more like Another Eternity, while some of the other tracks on Womb are closer in style to their debut. (Also, Stardew is akin to the recent non-album banger they released, Asido.)

As for Young Ejecta, I keep fucking waiting for more after I thrashed Build a Fire upon its release in 2017 ... haven't really stopped thrashing it to be honest. There are a couple of older albums that I think are decent but not great. Build a Fire felt like the start of a new era but nothing has happened yet.

And be careful where and around whom you look up Young Ejecta - the singer likes to get her kit off for their album/single covers. Extremely NSFW.

 

[Axver]

Sadly, I think when I tried to get into Jezabels I struggled to find even one song that was even half as good as Endless Summer.

Friggin' Cobbler, you can find a song just as good, indeed maybe better, right after Endless Summer: Long Highway.

Also advance just a couple of songs more down the album tracklist to Rosebud. That's my personal fave.

Though I've failed to really get much into any other Jezabels release, so I do hear you. I'm not even struck by their early EPs that garnered so much praise at the time.