Machinefabriek and 9 other artists

[Thermofusion]

1    Broadcast and The Focus Group    57

I really wanted to like this album, I really did, I got all hyped up about the concept when I read the reviews. But it wasn't at all what I expected. Maybe my fave album title of the year though

[ellaguru]

2    The Blow    25

Do they have something new out that I missed?

[Nick Ink]

2    The Blow    25

Do they have something new out that I missed?

No. For once, I'm listening to something older - Poor Aim Love Songs.

[mountmccabe]

That's a lot of music mountmccabe! Well done. May I ask what your job is?

I work a quality control job at a contract personal care products manufacturer.  We make shampoos and lotions and such, mostly.  I (mostly) do physical and chemical tests on the batched products to ensure they were made correctly/are OK to fill/ready to ship/etc.

So basically I am in a lab much of the day.  It isn't the best for paying attention to the music but at least I'mn't out on the floor having to deal with the various radio stations being played.  There is one other person that is in the lab as well but he mostly doesn't care what I play as long as it isn't Dylan.  Well, and the Hüsker Dü day was probably pushing it.  And the Wedding Present day was looking troublesome - lots of Gedge signing and lots of Gedge hooks - until I got to the Ukranians.

[Andrew_TSKS]

1    Broadcast and The Focus Group    57

I really wanted to like this album, I really did, I got all hyped up about the concept when I read the reviews. But it wasn't at all what I expected. Maybe my fave album title of the year though

I need to listen to it more but so far I'm reacting pretty similarly. The whole "hauntology" thing still isn't what I want from it very often.

[Nick Ink]

1    Broadcast and The Focus Group    57

I really wanted to like this album, I really did, I got all hyped up about the concept when I read the reviews. But it wasn't at all what I expected. Maybe my fave album title of the year though

I need to listen to it more but so far I'm reacting pretty similarly. The whole "hauntology" thing still isn't what I want from it very often.

It took me about 7 or 8 listens before it changed from being a series of nice noises and effects into a really compelling whole. I don't know, I felt like you both, but now it gets me really excited.

[davy]

Hey, my iPod stopped scrobbling. What happened? For a couple weeks after I started my account back up, my account was recording all my iPod songs just as it should, no problem. For the past few days, it hasn't been. 

[mountmccabe]

I know that to get my iPod to scrobble (I don't sync or anything) I have to open up last.fm and run diagnostics and manually tell it to scrobble (making sure to flip it to "I manually manage my iPod.")  It'll take a few minutes but you can close that Diagnostics window and minimize the last.fm and it'll flash when it's done.  Also this doesn't work the first time you do this (per computer) - I have surmised that it is establishing a baseline? - but it rolls from then on out.

[davy]

Which one is the diagnostics window? I was just messing around with my account at last.fm, trying to find some clues, and when I finally minimized the window, my iPod scrobbler window was up for the first time in a week or so. So I must've done something, but I don't know what.

[mountmccabe]

Diagnostics is in the Help menu.

[Nick Ink]

A quiet week, what with post-Xmas pantomime-related commitments and New Year action (couple of beers in front of the telly):

1     Hildur Guðnadóttir    20
This one made a late surge in 2009 - all layered cellos - I think it would appeal to the Richard Skelton admirers here - it has that same thick, orchestral, ambiguity to it.

2    Black to Comm    10
The first two tracks of this album are a slowly intensifying morass of drone and sound effects that completely engulf the headphones, and from there after it's a more gentle slide into prettier, but still dark ambience. The last track is a bit of a misfit - makes me think of the samlpletastic lullabies of Kazumasa Hashimoto.

3     Moritz von Oswald Trio    9
Listened to this quite a bit on headphones. Four longish tracks nearly totally comprised of percussion. It's quite techno in parts, but all the rhythms and time signatures slide in and out of sync and there's lots of little detail popping up here and there on phones. Intriguing record.

4     Scott Tuma & Mike Weis    7
Can only remember that I really liked it. This is an album that's been trampled in the stampede, I'm afraid. Must give it more attention in 2010.

5    Field Music    6
6    Peter Broderick & Machinefabriek    4
6    Robyn Hitchcock    4
8     le lendemain    3
9     Anduin    2
9    Lawrence English    2
9    Mika Vainio    2

[Nick Ink]

1    Chihei Hatakeyama    42
New album - The Secret Distance Of TOCHKA - his 6th since last january, with another one planned for February. Pretty drones and occasional field recordings. Excellent.

2    Grouper    29
She has four new tracks out on a split with Roy Montgomery. Pretty nice - a bit more abstract than Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill, which is probably a good thing.

3    Oren Ambarchi    25
I had a whole day of listening to the minimal guitar processing of Mr.Ambarchi. Grapes From The Estate and The Pendulum's Embrace still seem to be my favourites.

4     Wet Hair    13
Ex Racoo-oo-oon, but instead of chaotic, ramshackle, noise-rock, it's now cold distorted-Joy Division type vocals and Excepter-ish cheap synths and drum machines. Like it.

5     Richard Skelton    10
A sneak at the new one - Landings - sounded like a bit of a departure actually, but I need to hear it more of course.

6    Johnny Cash    7
Bits of American Recordings. I don't know why. Solitary Man a few times.

6    Goldmund    7
8    Aaron Martin    5
8    Field Music    5
10  Mariska Baars    3

[edison]

I have been neglecting this thread; sorry about that.

1 Caetano Veloso 50
I didn't listen to that much Caetano Veloso on the computer actually (played the CDs, especially the 1968 s/t one and Transa quite a bit though), but one morning I forgot to turn off the computer before I went to work, and the cat stepped on the keyboard and spent a few hours listening to music, as I discovered when I came back.

2 Calexico 36
3 Camera Obscura 32
4 Calc 23
This is all Ming's listening, as the alphabetical order suggests.

5 Marcos Valle 21

6 Calexico/Iron & Wine 15
Cat music.

7 Jorge Ben Jor 11
As part of ongoing investigations into Brazilian music, downloaded the widely recommended África Brasil - as the title very aptly implies, this is an unstoppably rocking, funky and catchy mixture of Brazilian and African styles and simply one of the best albums I've heard in ages. Here's the title track (also the last song on the album) in case anyone's curious: África Brasil

7 Elvis Costello & The Attractions 11
A friend of mine shared his copy of This Year's Model with me recently. He did say that he found it to be a disappointment compared to My Aim Is True. I am doubting his sanity.

9 Wander Wildner 8
A discovery made while my lady was doing an introduction to Brazilian music mixtape for a friend of hers - this guy is a punk-rocker from the 80s/90s who then went on to record a few solo records. The one I downloaded doesn't seem so hot overall, but the singles "Bebendo Vinho" and "Eu Tenho Uma Camiseta Escrita Eu Te Amo" do a great job at transcending their inner cheesiness.

10 Vic Chesnutt 5
10 Jay Reatard 5

[alex]

Since Ming is clearly a more avid music listener than you are, perhaps she can share her reviews with us as well? I'm curious to hear her take on the Calexico/Iron&Wine collaboration.

[edison]

Sure, I'll tell her to email you.

[Good Intentions]

I have to say, I agree with edison on that one.

[Nick Ink]

7 Elvis Costello & The Attractions 11
A friend of mine shared his copy of This Year's Model with me recently. He did say that he found it to be a disappointment compared to My Aim Is True. I am doubting his sanity.

I was listening to Elvis just as I read this, by coincidence! 'Punch The Clock', in fact. My favourite 3 Costello albums are 'My Aim Is True', 'Get Happy' and 'Blood & Chocolate'. But then as soon as yousay that, you think, "shit, what about 'King Of America'". Forget it, I take it all back.

[edison]

I've never listened to it, but I think we have Punch The Clock on vinyl. I should give it a spin. I'm only really familiar with Armed Forces, Imperial Bedroom and My Aim Is True, but I definitely have plans to hear a lot more over the next few months (okay, years is probably more realistic).

[Nick Ink]

I've never listened to it, but I think we have Punch The Clock on vinyl. I should give it a spin. I'm only really familiar with Armed Forces, Imperial Bedroom and My Aim Is True, but I definitely have plans to hear a lot more over the next few months (okay, years is probably more realistic).

Really! Well, Punch The Clock has its moments but its not top tier EC. I'd say My Aim Is True, Get Happy!, Blood & Chocolate and King Of America are my favourites.

[narlus]

7 Elvis Costello & The Attractions 11
A friend of mine shared his copy of This Year's Model with me recently. He did say that he found it to be a disappointment compared to My Aim Is True. I am doubting his sanity.

I was listening to Elvis just as I read this, by coincidence! 'Punch The Clock', in fact. My favourite 3 Costello albums are 'My Aim Is True', 'Get Happy' and 'Blood & Chocolate'. But then as soon as yousay that, you think, "shit, what about 'King Of America'". Forget it, I take it all back.

anyone who thinks _This Year's Model_ isn't a top EC record is definitely insane.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I have the ryko reissue of "Punch The Clock" from the early 90s--on cassette. It has 9 or 10 bonus tracks. It RULES.

[ellaguru]

Punch the Clock is really good. I would call it second tier Elvis, but with multiple reminders that that second tier Elvis is still pretty frickin' awesome.

[edison]

1 Jorge Ben Jor 53
Still basking in the awesomeness of Africa Brasil.

2 Marcos Valle 20
A figure of Brazilian pop music for decades now, this guy dabbled in a lot of stuff, from straightward catchy bossa/pop music to a variety of more experimental outings, which makes him really hard to pin down and describe. I've been mostly listening to Previsão de Tempo, a 1973 album with arrangements that are frankly incredible.

3 Owen Pallett 19
Still in the process of making up my mind about this. The instrumentation is beautiful, I'm sold on three or four songs already but still not sure about the singing. I saw that the record is sold for ten euros here, so it's not impossible that I'll end up buying it.

4 Spoon 18
To me, all Spoon albums except for the first two are more or less at the same level, with no clear favorite standing out. After fifteen listens or so, Transference seems like it's going to join the pack. I still have to hear this on headphones; I have a feeling it will be awesome.

5 Scout Niblett 17
This will require further listens for confirmation, but I think The Calcination of Scout Niblett is shaping up to be an early 2010 favorite. I liked the couple of other records by her that I checked out after seeing her in December, but this definitely does a better job at matching the intensity of her live show. It's only electric guitar and drums, and it's captivating the whole way through. Also, the title and artwork are both great - I'm quite fond of the word "calcination", and it fits the music very well here.

6 Flaming Tusk 8
My first listen was probably not as attentive as it should have been, so I don't really have any insights as of now, except that this sounded significantly stronger than the first EP to me (which I already liked, mind you), and that the song "Icy River" is as fantastic as others have claimed it is. I'm looking forward to seeing this released in physical form!

6 Machinefabriek 8

8 Dirty Three 7

9 The Magnetic Fields 2
9 Jorge Ben 2
9 Quasi 2

[Nick Ink]

Low numbers this week due to lots of work and stuff.

1 Machinefabriek           23
Can't remember what this was as I've been listening to various things on the headphones as well. The three new 3" CDRs are all interesting, but I'll put that in the appropriate thread.
2 Kenneth Kirschner      12
The impeccable near-silence and tubular drones of the of Filaments + Voids album, 3 times. One from last year that I've been listening to regularly the past couple of months.
3 Andrew Chalk            10
And in a similar vein...I had a morning or two of listening to very quiet, tranquil music. This was my favourite Chalk album, Time Of Hayfield, and also Blue Eyes Of The March.
4 Le Lendemain             9
5 Autechre                   7
5 Robyn Hitchcock         7
7 The Beatles               6
8 Oren Ambarchi           5
9 Elvis Costello              4
9 Excepter                   4

[edison]

5     Richard Skelton    10
A sneak at the new one - Landings - sounded like a bit of a departure actually, but I need to hear it more of course.

This is my current soundtrack for work (it's streaming over at Luisterpaal), and I have to say, it's so good it's distracting me. I've enjoyed the odd A Broken Consort track on alex's mixes before, so I think it's definitely time I investigate this man's work properly.