Random Music Talk CXXIII: Cilantro Lover's Club

[Hewson]

My Sirius radio was tuned to Lithium this morning when I got in the car. I’m not a Soundgarden fan, but I listened to their entire Artist Confidential with Chris Cornell this morning. He played a cover of Nothing Compares 2 U, and it was bluesy and lovely.

He does a great job with that, had a knack for acoustic covers that he really made his own, like his U2/Metallica one mash up.

His untimely death bothers me as much as any rock star death. Supreme talent and seemingly had gotten his shit together later in life, good marriage, loved his kids and then out of nowhere hangs himself. I know his wife believes it was cause he took too much medication and wasn't thinking clearly, and I think there's something to it.

 

[phanan]

Also, a second round of thank yous for the well wishes I missed yesterday evening!

Late to the party but congrats!

 

[Diemen]

Late to the party but congrats!

 

[LemonMelon]

Thanks for all of the congratulations and well-wishes, everyone. Ashley moves into the second trimester next week and we'll find out the sex of the baby pretty soon, maybe middle of next month. Due date is the first week of December. Late in the year, but not quite late enough to be one of those Christmas babies that gets their birthday lumped in with everything else.

that kid is going to have exceptional musical taste. congrats guys!

One of the best gifts I can give my kid that my father didn't give me was the knowledge that hip hop is an amazing genre and subculture that you shouldn't be wary to explore. He's the kind of guy who would agree with Geraldo that rap music is more harmful to black youths than racism. My taste in music opened way up when I heard Paul's Boutique and Late Registration for the first time at 15.

 

[LemonMelon]

Without exaggeration, I think Sparkle Hard is my favorite Malkmus record since Pavement broke up. The melodies and writing are so good, Stephen shreds a bit, and there's plenty of variety. I could play this all day.

 

[u2popmofo]

Without exaggeration, I think Sparkle Hard is my favorite Malkmus record since Pavement broke up. The melodies and writing are so good, Stephen shreds a bit, and there's plenty of variety. I could play this all day.

It's really good, I enjoyed my first time through it a great deal.

 

[cobl04]

I'm really trying to listen to more women. I tried to do that '10 days 10 albums' thing (can't remember if I already posted this or not) and I wanted it to be a 50-50 gender split. But whilst there are 100s of albums by male artists that I could pick, there's barely any by females that jump out at me and that makes me sad.

I wonder if we could have a discussion in here about your favourite records by females (or female-led groups). Name them, across all genres, and say why you love them. I really need to up my count.

 

[cobl04]

Also on a different note, André 3000's "Me&My (To Bury Your Parents)" that he just dropped is fucking stunning. I'm not just saying it because I'm a stan, it's gorgeous and heartbreaking and moving. James Blake pays piano. 3000 sings and plays clarinet. It just blows me away how talented he is.

 

[Mack_Again]

I'm really trying to listen to more women. I tried to do that '10 days 10 albums' thing (can't remember if I already posted this or not) and I wanted it to be a 50-50 gender split. But whilst there are 100s of albums by male artists that I could pick, there's barely any by females that jump out at me and that makes me sad.

I wonder if we could have a discussion in here about your favourite records by females (or female-led groups). Name them, across all genres, and say why you love them. I really need to up my count.

yo I found this new jazz album from Yazu Ahmed and she's a woman, so, its not that hard, Cobbler, if you look for it.

I cant really tell what's really my favorite but I found this Japanese DJ/electronica artist Sapphire Slows and she's cool

 

[lazarus]

Without exaggeration, I think Sparkle Hard is my favorite Malkmus record since Pavement broke up. The melodies and writing are so good, Stephen shreds a bit, and there's plenty of variety. I could play this all day.

I'm really trying to listen to more women. I tried to do that '10 days 10 albums' thing (can't remember if I already posted this or not) and I wanted it to be a 50-50 gender split. But whilst there are 100s of albums by male artists that I could pick, there's barely any by females that jump out at me and that makes me sad.

I wonder if we could have a discussion in here about your favourite records by females (or female-led groups). Name them, across all genres, and say why you love them. I really need to up my count.

Always down for that. I've been partial to female-fronted bands and solo artists for a long time, so there's a shitload for me to talk about.

Two of my favorites from the 90s are British act Saint Etienne (retro/dance pop) and Dutch band Bettie Serveert (indie rock). The former has a pretty huge following and is still putting out great music. The latter is definitely obscure but they were on Matador in the 90s (they covered Pavement's Trigger Cut once) and got some decent airplay on college radio. They're still recording on smaller labels and are still good but nothing essential in a while.

Also on Matador, Liz Phair's first two albums are legit classics (her debut just got a boxed set reissue) and essential listening, she's easily one of the decade's best songwriters. And the debut LP from Helium is also a stunner, a little weirder in terms of its sonic palette, more angular approach.

The last one I'll mention for now is Everything But The Girl, who took a lot of turns over their discography, but broke through big with their folk pop period and then went right into drum & bass and house after that. They're so damned good, and Tracey Thorn's voice is impeccable.

So, in short, for starters:

Saint Etienne: Good Humor, Foxbase Alpha
Bettie Serveert: Palomine, Dust Bunnies
Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart
Helium: The Dirt of Luck
Everything But The Girl: Amplified Heart, Walking Wounded

 

[lazarus]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yOSrt8eGzoA

https://youtube.com/watch?v=VY3HuDsHyK8

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1RpRfCv-jPw

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NYJPGQ9iCNc

https://youtube.com/watch?v=88Xyu3rIWfc

 

[Mack_Again]

Ok why did I forget to mention Mitski? Her show at small club in Kyoto was the best live experience

 

[Kieran McConville]

I... have only super obvious (but also great) suggestions: Patti Smith Group (Horses/Easter in particular; check out some of her live stuff from around 1979 on Youtube, it's a blast, and funny too, as she could be in interviews also. "Muhammad found the seventh heaven? Big deal. I want the eighth heaven, and the ninth heaven.");

PJ Harvey (nearly anything, but surprisingly or not, this decade's Let England Shake/Hope Six Demolition Project in particular)...


Maybe some eighties Kate Bush... Hounds of Love.

Cocteau Twins, although they're an acquired taste (Elizabeth Fraser later famously fronted on some Massive Attack stuff like Teardrop, but their albums such as Heaven or Las Vegas or Treasure are well worth a listen. Like My Bloody Valentine, not for the words per se.

There are others, but I'm leery if it's just based on me knowing like one album from whenever. Gillian Welch, if you don't mind country-bluegrass-type alternative music.

 

[Axver]

I'm really trying to listen to more women. I tried to do that '10 days 10 albums' thing (can't remember if I already posted this or not) and I wanted it to be a 50-50 gender split. But whilst there are 100s of albums by male artists that I could pick, there's barely any by females that jump out at me and that makes me sad.

I wonder if we could have a discussion in here about your favourite records by females (or female-led groups). Name them, across all genres, and say why you love them. I really need to up my count.

My ten-albums thing ended up quite dude-heavy, but that's because I focused on albums from my teenage years. When you grow up mostly exposed to bands of dudes, inevitably the albums that have stuck with me from those years are full of dudes, even if my listening today is not. My 2017 albums list is pretty much a perfect 50/50 gender split without me even putting effort into the ratio.

If I made an equivalent list of albums from, say, the past five years that I think will have stuck with me in 2028, I think it would have much better balance.

The original version of this post I was going to write up a bunch of albums, but then I changed my mind. Here are the write-ups I began with, because I didn't want to delete them, and then after that is a list of stuff from the past five years that I imagine will stick with me:

Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner
Cult of Luna are a perfectly good sludge metal band, but they had never stood out as a personal favourite until they brought Julie Christmas on board for this album. Her vocals are out of this world. One of the most intense performances I've ever heard.

Film School - Fission
Every song with vocals from Lorelei (the bassist) is basically perfect. The final four songs are like a daydream.

Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third
My favourite album, by a mile. I can't put into words what this album means to me. But of course Chloe Alper, bassist and one of the vocalists, is a massive part of it.

Purity Ring - Another Eternity
I will never for the life of me understand why this album was received so poorly. Megan James has a haunting presence here. Every song is either a total banger or so rich with atmosphere that you can lose yourself for days.

List for the past five years, asterisks denote the Aussies/Kiwis if you want to hit up some locals:

Blood Command - Cult Drugs (post-hardcore; holy fuck Karina Ljone's vocals will destroy you)
Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe (synthpop)
Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner (sludge metal)
Deafcult - Auras (shoegaze)*
Death and the Maiden - s/t and Wisteria (gothic and gloomy post-punk I guess? Everyone fucking listen to this)*
Dorsal Fins - Mind Renovation (psychedelic indie)*
Esben and the Witch - Older Terrors (gothic/ethereal post-rock)
Flyying Colours - s/t EP and Mindfullness (shoegaze)*
Grimes - Art Angels (synthpop, Flesh Without Blood is the best song of the decade)
Hideous Towns - Disquiet Living and the s/t EP (dream pop/post-punk)*
Little May - For the Company (indie folk)*
Marnie - Crystal World (dream pop/synthpop)
Marriages - Salome (how to define this? gothic 'gazy post-rock?)
Memoryhouse - Soft Hate (dreamy, chillwave-influenced synthpop)
No Joy - Wait to Pleasure (dream pop/shoegaze)
The Orbweavers - Deep Leads (dream folk)*
Priest - s/t, and Our Time Will Come EP (synthpop)
Purity Ring - Another Eternity (witch house-influenced synthpop)
Save Ends - Warm Hearts Cold Hands, Hug Your Friends EP, A Book About Bad Luck (emo)
Sylvaine - Wistful (blackgaze)
Thrushes - Exposing Seas (shoegaze/indie)
White Lung - Deep Fantasy (punk)
Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool (indie rock)

Also a nod to Build a Fire, a single by Young Ejecta, the only competitor for me with Flesh Without Blood for the title of song of the 2010s.

And that's just by scrolling through my RYM 4.5s and 5s from the past five years. I was going to hit up my 4/5s but the list would get way too long. So that's led to some glaring omissions: Ali Barter,*, Alpine,* Mermaidens,* Fazerdaze,* Kaleida, Kardajala Kirridarra,* Waxahatchee, Slowdive, Nadia Reid,* Tiny Deaths, Hœlos, Shana Falana, Meniscus,* Crying, Helms Alee, Yumi Zouma,* Major Leagues,* half/cut*, Voltaire Twins*, Eternal Summers... shit I could just keep going and going.

 

[Hewson]

Due date is the first week of December. Late in the year, but not quite late enough to be one of those Christmas babies that gets their birthday lumped in with everything else.

Maybe he'll be born December 4 like his crazy Uncle Hewson.

 

[cobl04]

Always down for that. I've been partial to female-fronted bands and solo artists for a long time, so there's a shitload for me to talk about.

Two of my favorites from the 90s are British act Saint Etienne (retro/dance pop) and Dutch band Bettie Serveert (indie rock). The former has a pretty huge following and is still putting out great music. The latter is definitely obscure but they were on Matador in the 90s (they covered Pavement's Trigger Cut once) and got some decent airplay on college radio. They're still recording on smaller labels and are still good but nothing essential in a while.

Also on Matador, Liz Phair's first two albums are legit classics (her debut just got a boxed set reissue) and essential listening, she's easily one of the decade's best songwriters. And the debut LP from Helium is also a stunner, a little weirder in terms of its sonic palette, more angular approach.

The last one I'll mention for now is Everything But The Girl, who took a lot of turns over their discography, but broke through big with their folk pop period and then went right into drum & bass and house after that. They're so damned good, and Tracey Thorn's voice is impeccable.

So, in short, for starters:

Saint Etienne: Good Humor, Foxbase Alpha
Bettie Serveert: Palomine, Dust Bunnies
Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart
Helium: The Dirt of Luck
Everything But The Girl: Amplified Heart, Walking Wounded

Thanks man. I saw the review of the re-released Exile up on p4k and that was a catalyst for my post. Can you nail the other three down to one album I should start with?

I own Horses (and, ridiculously, have seen it performed live by an Aussie supergroup despite never hearing the actual album) so that's high on my list, as is Court & Spark, which LM recommended to me. I think I will also add Tapestry, as it has a cat on the cover and I love It's Too Late.

My ten-albums thing ended up quite dude-heavy, but that's because I focused on albums from my teenage years. When you grow up mostly exposed to bands of dudes, inevitably the albums that have stuck with me from those years are full of dudes, even if my listening today is not. My 2017 albums list is pretty much a perfect 50/50 gender split without me even putting effort into the ratio.

If I made an equivalent list of albums from, say, the past five years that I think will have stuck with me in 2028, I think it would have much better balance.

The original version of this post I was going to write up a bunch of albums, but then I changed my mind. Here are the write-ups I began with, because I didn't want to delete them, and then after that is a list of stuff from the past five years that I imagine will stick with me:

Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner
Cult of Luna are a perfectly good sludge metal band, but they had never stood out as a personal favourite until they brought Julie Christmas on board for this album. Her vocals are out of this world. One of the most intense performances I've ever heard.

Film School - Fission
Every song with vocals from Lorelei (the bassist) is basically perfect. The final four songs are like a daydream.

Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third
My favourite album, by a mile. I can't put into words what this album means to me. But of course Chloe Alper, bassist and one of the vocalists, is a massive part of it.

Purity Ring - Another Eternity
I will never for the life of me understand why this album was received so poorly. Megan James has a haunting presence here. Every song is either a total banger or so rich with atmosphere that you can lose yourself for days.

List for the past five years, asterisks denote the Aussies/Kiwis if you want to hit up some locals:

Blood Command - Cult Drugs (post-hardcore; holy fuck Karina Ljone's vocals will destroy you)
Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe (synthpop)
Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner (sludge metal)
Deafcult - Auras (shoegaze)*
Death and the Maiden - s/t and Wisteria (gothic and gloomy post-punk I guess? Everyone fucking listen to this)*
Dorsal Fins - Mind Renovation (psychedelic indie)*
Esben and the Witch - Older Terrors (gothic/ethereal post-rock)
Flyying Colours - s/t EP and Mindfullness (shoegaze)*
Grimes - Art Angels (synthpop, Flesh Without Blood is the best song of the decade)
Hideous Towns - Disquiet Living and the s/t EP (dream pop/post-punk)*
Little May - For the Company (indie folk)*
Marnie - Crystal World (dream pop/synthpop)
Marriages - Salome (how to define this? gothic 'gazy post-rock?)
Memoryhouse - Soft Hate (dreamy, chillwave-influenced synthpop)
No Joy - Wait to Pleasure (dream pop/shoegaze)
The Orbweavers - Deep Leads (dream folk)*
Priest - s/t, and Our Time Will Come EP (synthpop)
Purity Ring - Another Eternity (witch house-influenced synthpop)
Save Ends - Warm Hearts Cold Hands, Hug Your Friends EP, A Book About Bad Luck (emo)
Sylvaine - Wistful (blackgaze)
Thrushes - Exposing Seas (shoegaze/indie)
White Lung - Deep Fantasy (punk)
Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool (indie rock)

Also a nod to Build a Fire, a single by Young Ejecta, the only competitor for me with Flesh Without Blood for the title of song of the 2010s.

And that's just by scrolling through my RYM 4.5s and 5s from the past five years. I was going to hit up my 4/5s but the list would get way too long. So that's led to some glaring omissions: Ali Barter,*, Alpine,* Mermaidens,* Fazerdaze,* Kaleida, Kardajala Kirridarra,* Waxahatchee, Slowdive, Nadia Reid,* Tiny Deaths, Hœlos, Shana Falana, Meniscus,* Crying, Helms Alee, Yumi Zouma,* Major Leagues,* half/cut*, Voltaire Twins*, Eternal Summers... shit I could just keep going and going.

Thanks man. I recall loving Art Angels but I just never stuck with it. Had no idea Flyying Colours were female, I've been meaning to listen to them for ages. And Kardajala are great, they and Ali were in my top 10 for the year last year, which was nice. Hope Kardajala can keep kicking on.

I've listened to quite a few records by females in recent years that I've loved a lot. Julien Baker's Sprained Ankle is probably my favourite of those. There's also been artists like Natalie Prass (who's got a new one out in a few weeks), Julia Holter (her last album was terrific and she's fantastic live, hopefully she's working on the next record), Angel Olsen for some reason I haven't listened to enough, even though Sister is one of the best songs ever (and I say that not even being able to recall how it goes right now). Alpine fucking rule. I also reeeeeally need to listen to Jen Cloher. Also, do you like Aldous Harding?

And then there's St Vincent, par excellence.

 

[cobl04]

This is my to-listen list for the next while:

Jlin - Black Origami
Patti Smith - Horses
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Nico - Chelsea Girl
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark
Carole King - Tapestry
Jen Cloher - Jen Cloher
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

 

[Axver]

Thanks man. I recall loving Art Angels but I just never stuck with it. Had no idea Flyying Colours were female, I've been meaning to listen to them for ages. And Kardajala are great, they and Ali were in my top 10 for the year last year, which was nice. Hope Kardajala can keep kicking on.

I've listened to quite a few records by females in recent years that I've loved a lot. Julien Baker's Sprained Ankle is probably my favourite of those. There's also been artists like Natalie Prass (who's got a new one out in a few weeks), Julia Holter (her last album was terrific and she's fantastic live, hopefully she's working on the next record), Angel Olsen for some reason I haven't listened to enough, even though Sister is one of the best songs ever (and I say that not even being able to recall how it goes right now). Alpine fucking rule. I also reeeeeally need to listen to Jen Cloher. Also, do you like Aldous Harding?

And then there's St Vincent, par excellence.

Yeah, I knew I'd be naming a few you know, but making the post without mentioning Alpine or Kardajala Kirridarra or Ali Barter just felt wrong.

Flyying Colours are 50/50 at the moment. Gemma is as important to the band's sound as Brodie (and is the loveliest person oh my god), and they've gone through a few lineup changes but Mel has been their bassist for the past three or so years.

Aldous Harding isn't really my bag, no. But I saw her live last year because Martin Phillipps was her support act and she's an impressive performer.

GET ONTO NADIA REID, I promise you won't regret it. Another Kiwi folk act like Aldous, a bit less quirky, but also writes cryptic lyrics and is all-round great. Some lovely guitar tones. This is her hit:



And I'm going to keep mentioning Death and the Maiden until some of you check them out. Two women, one dude, from Port Chalmers (the port of Dunedin, that great storied city of music). Eerie music that is written so fucking well. I love them. Here's the lead single for their second album Wisteria, which dropped a month ago:

 

[cobl04]

The greatest gift Tame Impala has given me, even including their music, is introducing me to this song when they hosted a night of Rage.



And I was LITERALLY drinking in LA when I was 26, and I forgot all about while I was there, and never posted a pic to social media saying "What the hell am I doing drinking in LA at 26" and I will never be drinking in LA at 26 ever again and that gives me a lot more anxiety and depression than it should.

 

[cobl04]

Lot of fans here, does there exist a soundtrack for My Neighbour Totoro? Because there's an instrumental track from that that I dig the shit out of.

 

[cobl04]

Can't remember where I heard this (I'm going back through my Shazams), but calling Laz, Ashley, LM, et al, all fans of Carly Rae, Chromatics, M83, Chad Valley, and so on, you will ADORE this song.

 

[LemonMelon]

Lot of fans here, does there exist a soundtrack for My Neighbour Totoro? Because there's an instrumental track from that that I dig the shit out of.

There is. Punch in "my neighbor totoro ost" into YouTube and there are two playlists for it. Neither are complete, but across the two of them you'll probably find the track you want.

Joe Hisaishi, FWIW, is one of my favorite composers and much of his work holds up outside of the films themselves. The Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke scores are masterful.

 

[Mack_Again]

have anyone mentioned Sonic Youth yet?

 

[cobl04]

So there doesn't exist a proper released album...?

Speaking of female music... I was introduced to this through Bojack, and it remains one of my favourite songs ever:



Obviously goes without saying how powerful it is in Bojack, but what a fucking recording on its own.

 

[martha]

Priests
The Kills
Marriages


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[cobl04]

You recommended Marriages when I asked for angry music by women a few months ago. Best album?

 

[cobl04]

This song is still such a banger after all these years

 

[gump]

The new Frankie Cosmos record has mostly flown under the radar, but it’s her best work so far and I think you might enjoy it, cobbler.

 

[iron yuppie]

So there doesn't exist a proper released album...?

Speaking of female music... I was introduced to this through Bojack, and it remains one of my favourite songs ever:



Obviously goes without saying how powerful it is in Bojack, but what a fucking recording on its own.

Nina Simone is a legend. A proper one.

Also given your electro side you should really check out Sylvan Esso.

 

[LemonMelon]

So there doesn't exist a proper released album...?

There was a release through the tiny Animage label and I think it was reissued for iTunes. I was just trying to direct you to where you could listen to (most of) it for free.