The One & Only Official Music Geeks' Thread

[aveslacker]

I like how they rock out Metallica.

And that chick is hot.

Nice find.

[SE6Ajacied]

Just bought 'Footnotes' by the Hospital Bombers on the excellent Dutch label Excelsior Recordings (thanks for the tip Ko!). Really great CD this and you can listen to it here http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/luisterpaal/38180544

They do mail order and three CD's were only 4.25 Euro's postage to the UK from NL so I bought a compilation and an accoustic selection from Solo (who are also very good) as well.

Website is well worth a browse btw here http://www.excelsior-recordings.net/index.php

[Cedric]

Speaking of Excelsior... 2-1 against kakkies

Excelsior recordings is indeed excellent with Absynthe Minded and Spinvis...

[Kowalczyk]

Just bought 'Footnotes' by the Hospital Bombers on the excellent Dutch label Excelsior Recordings (thanks for the tip Ko!). Really great CD this and you can listen to it here http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/luisterpaal/38180544

They do mail order and three CD's were only 4.25 Euro's postage to the UK from NL so I bought a compilation and an accoustic selection from Solo (who are also very good) as well.

Website is well worth a browse btw here http://www.excelsior-recordings.net/index.php

I'm impressed: you're actually buying Excelsior records these days... They're my favourite Dutch indie label by far. Footnotes is a very good album. The lead singer used to be in another Excelsior band, named The Heights. They remained obscure and never really made an impact, but some other Excelsior recordings did (in Holland, and sometimes at John Peel's office). Some of Excelsior's classics include:

Daryll-Ann - Weeps (1996)
Caesar - No Rest For The Alonely (1997)
Johan - Pergola (2001) and Thx Jhn (2006)
Alamo Race Track - Black Cat John Brown (2006) (big in France!)

And then there's the Spinvis phenomenon... Absolutely the best Dutch-language pop music ever. The guy's lyrics (the imagery) are unlike anything I've ever heard before in Dutch or English. A bit naive and child-like, but very playful and poetic at the same time. His music? The arrangements of Brian Wilson or Stereolab, the fragile, vulnerable songwriting of Eels and the unique lyrical of a guy like Sufjan Stevens (but different, otherwise it would not have been unique, of course).

Spinvis' self-titles début album (2002) was recorded at his attic, at home in Nieuwegein (an Utrecht suburb, you could say). It's essentially a one-man production. It was voted the best Dutch-language pop album of all time recently. His second studio album (title: Dagen van gras, dagen van stro was recorded with a band). It's just as brilliant. His third album (Goochelaars & Geesten, released in 2007) is a compilation of out-takes and stuff.

By the way: it's 50 years ago this Spring that the first Dutch rock & roll single was released, so media and the Dutch Pop Institute (NPI) are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dutch pop/rock music. Every music journalist had to submit his personal top 10 of best Dutch albums of all time - and these were the top ten albums:

1. Urban Dance Squad - Mental Floss For The Globe (1989) (rock/hiphop crossover)
2. Herman Brood & His Wild Romance - Shpritsz (1978) (rock & roll)
3. Spinvis - Spinvis (2002) (Dutch-language indie/pop)
4. Johan - Pergola (2001) (indie)
5. Opgezwolle - Eigen Wereld (2006) (Dutch-language hiphop)
6. Bettie Serveert - Palomine (1992) (indie)
7. Boudewijn de Groot - Voor de overlevenden (1967) (Holland's Dutch-language Bob Dylan)
8. Daryll-Ann - Weeps (1996) (indie)
9. Golden Earring - Moontan (1973) (rawk; album includes Radar Love; best selling Dutch album of all time)
10. Doe Maar - Doris Day & Andere Stukken (1982) (Dutch-languagae ska/reaggae pop, you could say the Dutch equivalent of The Police, a massive, almost scary hype in the early 1980s)

As always, the top 10 stirred up a discussion. A part of the public feels that too many music journalists are focused on punk, wave, indie and other 'underground' genres, and hate everything that's prog/symfo or hardrock, whereas some of Holland's most successful (and probable best) groups in (particularly) the U.K. were progressive/symphonic rock bands in the early 1970s. We're talking about bands like Focus (with the great Jan Akkerman on guitar), Kayak, Supersister, Ekseption and Solution.

They kind of have a point, I guess. There have been three very brief periods in music history in which Dutch artists from a certain genre really pioneered internationally: in prog/symph in the early 1970s, in acid house just before 1990 and in trance, right now (Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, etc.).

The coolest music this country ever produced in my eyes was some of the garage/beat we had in the 1960s. Bands like The Outsiders (Amsterdam) and Q'65 (The Hague) really kicked major arse (and their terrible English was very cool, too). The worldwide garage/sixties collectors' scene loves them and pay hundreds of dollars for an original vinyl LP. But that's now. At the time it didn't mean a thing, internationally.

K.

[DanK]

Menno, I didn't notice any 'de havenzangers' on that list. My parents will be shattered.

[SE6Ajacied]

I'm impressed: you're actually buying Excelsior records these days... K.

Cheers lol, When I was in Boudisque record shop a year or so back I signed up to their e-mail newsletter so I've normally got an idea of what's coming out in the way of Dutch Indie type music. They reviewed Footnotes and because I found it on the internet I knew I liked it before I bought it. The compilation "Fine Fine Music - Volume 2" seems good as well, playing it right now for the 1st time. It's got tracks by Johan and the Spinvas on it so listening with interest.

10. Doe Maar - Doris Day & Andere Stukken (1982) (Dutch-languagae ska/reaggae pop, you could say the Dutch equivalent of The Police, a massive, almost scary hype in the early 1980s)

Well I don't have that album, only a couple of best of/live compilations but I've got some Doe Maar too. They were sort of my introduction to Dutch music of any kind the first time I can to Holland (1998). I was chatting to the barman in a pub somewhere and asked him to recommend a good Dutch band - still not sure if he was joking or not by recommending this lot but they've got some good tunes.

[DanK]

An online only clip of a new track, or just something to keep him busy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40KcTO3uZSY

I don't know how this guy does it, but he is surely one of the great writers of his generation...Very Neil Youngish.

[Kowalczyk]

@ SE6 Ajacied:

Have you ever heard of Last.FM (http://www.last.fm/)? You should check it out. It's an enormous music database, which you can listen to as a customized radio station. You can enter an artist name, genre or keyword/tage - and it will select all kinds of similar music.

If you enter the name of an Excelsior Recordings artist (for example Johan) it will select almost exclusively tracks from other Excelsior artists and Dutch indie bands such as Voicst, Coparck and what have you. Will give you a nice picture.

Last.FM is fantastic anyway. The perfect way to create your dream mix of music that you know, and get to know new stuff you might like.

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

@ SE6 Ajacied:

Have you ever heard of Last.FM (http://www.last.fm/)? You should check it out. It's an enormous music database, which you can listen to as a customized radio station. You can enter an artist name, genre or keyword/tage - and it will select all kinds of similar music.

If you enter the name of an Excelsior Recordings artist (for example Johan) it will select almost exclusively tracks from other Excelsior artists and Dutch indie bands such as Voicst, Coparck and what have you. Will give you a nice picture.

Last.FM is fantastic anyway. The perfect way to create your dream mix of music that you know, and get to know new stuff you might like.

K.

cheers Ko - listening to some Johan now as you suggested. I hadn't heard of this site but have bookmarked it. I tend to play CD's through the computer anyway as the Stereo system is downstairs and I play music upstairs when I'm on the internet.

Anyway Johan seem good. It's playing Oceans which started quite mellow and then moved on to more soft guitar rock. I'll definately have a look around the site.

I listened to a bit of Spinvis too the other day. Just the one track (Alina) but the guy certainly does have a unique sound (even though I can only catch about 1 word in 3 - at most - of the lyrics)

[aveslacker]

An online only clip of a new track, or just something to keep him busy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40KcTO3uZSY

I don't know how this guy does it, but he is surely one of the great writers of his generation...Very Neil Youngish.

One thing that shines through on that track is how good of a guitar player he is. He's amazing.

[DanK]

An online only clip of a new track, or just something to keep him busy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40KcTO3uZSY

I don't know how this guy does it, but he is surely one of the great writers of his generation...Very Neil Youngish.

One thing that shines through on that track is how good of a guitar player he is. He's amazing.

I saw him and the Cardinals a few months back in Melbourne, and the sound and harmonies they produce is outstanding. What I find amazing is (seemingly) how easy it is for the guy to write a stunning tune. Lyrically he puts 99% of other musicians to shame.

He now has his own YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/user/HORION74 where he is currently posting random thoughts, very weird but entertaining clips and snippets of songs he's been working on.

He might be neurotic, possibly have ADD, but Ryan is definitely maturing into an amazing artist. May it continue.

[jamcocteau]

[
As always, the top 10 stirred up a discussion. A part of the public feels that too many music journalists are focused on punk, wave, indie and other 'underground' genres, and hate everything that's prog/symfo or hardrock,


K.

But at end of the day prog/symfo was absolute wank - end of story, that is why it is ignored by any half decent or respectable journalist.

I mean who wants to watch a 10 minute drum solo or some twat looking like a reject from Lord of the Rings on the ruddy stage.

It is ignored for a reason - its shite and nearly destroyed music.

[Tom_]

What's symfo?

[Kowalczyk]

Do we have any Norwegians over here?

Or maybe someone else from the Nordic countries can help me...

Norwegian rock band Madrugada have released their new (and probably final) album. Their guitar player Robert Burås was found dead in his flat in Oslo last year and it seems like they're going to call it quits. The large part of the new record was recorded before he died, so he's still on it. It's a self-titled album and it looks like it's gonna be their last.

It's out in Norway and possibly a few other Northern European countries, but not in Holland or the U.K. Amazon and Play.com don't have it (yet) and none of the record stores I checked had import copies.

I do have the music (a mate of mine downloaded it and sent me a CD-R), but I want the real thing. Does anybody know a place where I can order it? Or, if that's impossible, could someone from up north buy me a copy and ship it over? I can pay in advance, or we can do a CD swap!

K.

[DanK]

...

It's out in Norway and possibly a few other Northern European countries, but not in Holland or the U.K. Amazon and Play.com don't have it (yet) and none of the record stores I checked had import copies.

I do have the music (a mate of mine downloaded it and sent me a CD-R), but I want the real thing. Does anybody know a place where I can order it? Or, if that's impossible, could someone from up north buy me a copy and ship it over? I can pay in advance, or we can do a CD swap!

K.

Menno - Have you tried eBay? Just a thought. I did a quick search and found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MADRUGADA-NEW-ALBUM ... p1638.m122

I'm not a huge eBay fan, but it might be an option.

[SE6Ajacied]

...

It's out in Norway and possibly a few other Northern European countries, but not in Holland or the U.K. Amazon and Play.com don't have it (yet) and none of the record stores I checked had import copies.

I do have the music (a mate of mine downloaded it and sent me a CD-R), but I want the real thing. Does anybody know a place where I can order it? Or, if that's impossible, could someone from up north buy me a copy and ship it over? I can pay in advance, or we can do a CD swap!

K.

Menno - Have you tried eBay? Just a thought. I did a quick search and found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MADRUGADA-NEW-ALBUM ... p1638.m122

I'm not a huge eBay fan, but it might be an option.

or try here http://english.megastore.se/template/ne ... =MADRUGADA

They don't seem to have the one you want in stock yet but no doubt will. This is a very good site - I've bought a few things from here - postage is reasonable (and fast) too.

[Kowalczyk]

This is brilliant...

James Blunt 'forces' Noel Gallagher to move home
Oasis man getting away from the 'You're Beautiful' singer

Apparently, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher is selling his Ibiza holiday home because he can’t stand to live near James Blunt, who owns a nearby pad, anymore.

According to The Sun’s Bizarre column, Gallagher has put the £5.5million villa on the market, saying that he can’t stand living there in the knowledge that Blunt is nearby "making terrible music".

The newspaper quotes an anonymous source as saying: “Noel has been going to Ibiza every summer for years. But he’s fed up of hearing James Blunt bang on about Ibiza like he owns the place.

“It’s taken the charm out of it for him so he’s put his villa up for sale. It’s close to Blunt’s place, and he [Gallagher] says he can’t stand the thought of Blunt writing crap tunes down the road.”

Gallagher bought the property for £2.5 million in 1999 from Mike Oldfield.

K.

[DanK]

LMAO - Love em or hate them, the Gallagher brothers are definitely entertaining.

[kraz11]

This is brilliant...

James Blunt 'forces' Noel Gallagher to move home
Oasis man getting away from the 'You're Beautiful' singer

Apparently, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher is selling his Ibiza holiday home because he can’t stand to live near James Blunt, who owns a nearby pad, anymore.

According to The Sun’s Bizarre column, Gallagher has put the £5.5million villa on the market, saying that he can’t stand living there in the knowledge that Blunt is nearby "making terrible music".

The newspaper quotes an anonymous source as saying: “Noel has been going to Ibiza every summer for years. But he’s fed up of hearing James Blunt bang on about Ibiza like he owns the place.

“It’s taken the charm out of it for him so he’s put his villa up for sale. It’s close to Blunt’s place, and he [Gallagher] says he can’t stand the thought of Blunt writing crap tunes down the road.”

Gallagher bought the property for £2.5 million in 1999 from Mike Oldfield.

K.

[Per]

This is brilliant...

James Blunt 'forces' Noel Gallagher to move home
Oasis man getting away from the 'You're Beautiful' singer

Apparently, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher is selling his Ibiza holiday home because he can’t stand to live near James Blunt, who owns a nearby pad, anymore.

According to The Sun’s Bizarre column, Gallagher has put the £5.5million villa on the market, saying that he can’t stand living there in the knowledge that Blunt is nearby "making terrible music".

The newspaper quotes an anonymous source as saying: “Noel has been going to Ibiza every summer for years. But he’s fed up of hearing James Blunt bang on about Ibiza like he owns the place.

“It’s taken the charm out of it for him so he’s put his villa up for sale. It’s close to Blunt’s place, and he [Gallagher] says he can’t stand the thought of Blunt writing crap tunes down the road.”

Gallagher bought the property for £2.5 million in 1999 from Mike Oldfield.

K.

THAT is exactly why I will always love those guys no matter how crap albums they keep flogging.

[aveslacker]

I've been tooling around on last.fm lately and have re-discovered The Smiths. What a great band -- The Queen is Dead has to be one of the best albums of all time.

Boy does that bring back memories.

[SE6Ajacied]

I've been tooling around on last.fm lately and have re-discovered The Smiths. What a great band -- The Queen is Dead has to be one of the best albums of all time.

Boy does that bring back memories.

Frankly Mr Shankly for some of us they never went away ( sorry for the bad pun)

That Last FM is an excellent site - so often I've heard about a band but not actually heard them, so don't know whether to take a chance buying a CD or not. It plays some good selections when you just set it on "similar artists" mode as well

[Per]

Never been a bit fan of the Smiths but I love "There is a light that never goes out". Amazing song.

I've been listening alot to Bruce Springsteen lately. Went to see him some months ago and I have to say that he's done some really good music over the years and his latest album Magic has a few real highlights to it.

Besides that I'm also probably the last person to find Amy Winehouse. Great album, Back to black. And last but not least I would like to promote a hip hop album from a few years back call "Be" by Common. Awesome album!

[SE6Ajacied]

And last but not least I would like to promote a hip hop album from a few years back call "Be" by Common. Awesome album!

Seeing as we're talking obscure Hip Hop can I recommend 'Microphonorama' by Triptik - a few years old now but an excellent CD. I bought their next CD 'TR 303' too but it was nowhere near as good.

Can't touch The Smiths though

[aveslacker]

Speaking of Bruce, there's a really cool story about him in (I think it was) Copenhagen happening upon a street performer singing one of his songs. Bruce whips out his guitar and leads the busker in a version of The River and a few other songs, right there on the street.

It sounds like an urban myth, but here's the YouTube of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWQV7agBFtE

Bruce is the man.