quote:

Originally posted by DLeeWebb:
This months purchases...some good music here...

"Holiday In Dirt" - Stan Ridgway

That was a fun collection from an artist who gets nowhere near his due. His solo catalog has been uneven over the years, but The Big Heat and Mosquitos are two really great albums that not enough people have heard.

Now Playing: "Seeing Things" Zero 7 The Garden

I loved several of his solo efforts especially "The Big Heat," "Mosquitos," and the very recent "Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs." ("Talkin' Wall Of Voodoo Blues Part 1" shouldn't be missed by any Stan Ridgway fan!) Haven't listened to this new one yet but I'm looking forward to it...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DLeeWebb,

Some recent pick-ups and mail-ins:

Johnny Casino's Easy Action I Paid for Attention not the House of Correction
The Maggots Monkey Time
SSM SSM
V/A International Pop Overthrow Vol. 9
Marty Rudnick More Songs About Cars and Girls
V/A Dana & Carl present: This is Rock 'n' Roll Radio
V/A Suicide Squeeze Records- Slaying Since 1996
Tne Knife Silent Shout

Weezer - The Blue Album
Eric B. and Rakim - Paid in Full: The Platinum Edition

Iggy Pop - Brick By Brick
Mountain Goats - Babylon Springs
Alejandro Escovedo - Man Under The Influence
White Whale - WW1

"Unsung" -- Slaid Cleaves
"Black Gold" -- King Biscuit Time
"Western Skies" -- Roddy Frame

Also ordered:

"Night Ripper" -- Girl Talk
"Call and Response" -- The Longcut
"Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up" -- Cortney Tidwell (New Mojo makes this sound interesting -- Mazzy Star-ish atmospheric country.)
"Waterpistol" -- Shack (Again, Mojo here .. their Buried Treasure this month)

Today being Tuesday, I'm expecting to pick up these new releases:

"Personality" -- Sleepy Jackson
"White Bread Black Beer" -- Scritti Politti

And, perhaps. The Pipettes' "We Are the Pipettes"

quote:

Originally posted by Peewee:
"Unsung" -- Slaid Cleaves

My wife pointed this one out to me. It's great. I'll be curious to hear what you think of it and to dig further into his back catalog.

Now Playing: The Daily Source Code

I enjoyed it on a first listen, but in order to get past the surface which is very low-key, I will have to listen a few more times.

Today I bought the aforementioned Scritti Politti and Sleepy Jackson (the first song of which I heard online and love), and also the New York Dolls.

The Beatles- Revolver and The White Album

Latest purchases...should arrive tomorrow

Cursive - "Ugly Organ"
Panda & Angel - "Panda & Angel"
Spiritualized - "Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space"
Tapes 'n Tapes - "The Loon"
Unwound - "Leaves Turn Inside You"

I was convinced, by a cd-r with some of the tracks on it, to pick up:

Scritti Politti: White Bread, Black Beer

I was never a big SP fan back in the day. Marxist synthpop wasn't my bag, but the tracks I've heard are really good. Good enough to spend $7 on a used bin copy of the new one.

What does "Marxist" mean in relation to music?

quote:

Originally posted by Biggles:
What does "Marxist" mean in relation to music?

It just means that the band members were self-avowed Marxists. They made frequent references to Marx and other neo-Marxists in their music, and formed around a failed attempt to start a Youth Communist League in Wales.

My disinterest in Scritti had less to do with their political bent and more to do with not caring about the music. I actually appreciate the fact that Green was versed in Marx, Gramsci, Hegel, Wittgenstein, Derrida, and other (not necessarily Marxist) philosophers. But the Scritti tracks I know didn't really do much for me, political or otherwise.

Recent Acquisitions:

Venetian Snares - Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett
Voxtrot - Raised By Wolves Ep
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives
The National - Alligator
Menomena - I Am The Fun Blame Monster!
Menomena - Under An Hour
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Boredoms - Super Ae
Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun
Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time

The problem with Scritti Politti, both in the past and in the new album, is that the extremely sugary production and Green Gartside's consistently high-pitched, excessively breathy vocals become tiresome afer a while. I find it hard to listen to for more than about 20 minutes -- it's like eating candy floss for an entire meal.

I really like to Sleepy Jackson album though.

Current 93 - Black Ships Ate the Sky
Om - Conference of the Birds
Yellow Swans - Drift Yellow Swans

Today I picked up The Pipettes' "We Are the Pipettes". I think it should be perfect to play very loudly while I am cleaning the house.

Today, I picked up the new double disc reissue of The Jesus and Mary Chain's debut "Pyscho Candy"!

quote:

Originally posted by Peewee:
The problem with Scritti Politti, both in the past and in the new album, is that the extremely sugary production and Green Gartside's consistently high-pitched, excessively breathy vocals become tiresome afer a while. I find it hard to listen to for more than about 20 minutes -- it's like eating candy floss for an entire meal. .

I agree with most of that, although I find almost all of the new one to be solid and I don't have a toothache.

I was re-reading the chapters on Scritti in Simon Reynolds' Rip It Up and Start Again! (an amazing tour through post-punk and new wave) and I overstated the claim that SP were "marxist synthpoppers." It turns out Green had somewhat distanced himself from the Marxism and the collectivist approach to the band by the time they were having pop radio hits ("Wood Beez", "Perfect Way"). My bad.

Scritti becomes a central figure in Reynolds' book, tracing the change of mentality from punk to post-punk to radio-friendly new wave.

Persistence pays off -- I am now completely in love with the Scritti Politti album, which heads right for my top ten so far. I have completely surrendered to the lush melodies and complex production, which reminds me of Prefab Sprout, the High Llamas, Beach Boys and Debarge (yes, the fabulous, under-rated Debarge).