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NSC Easter Bunny CD 2015













Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,131
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
OK. I am going to have to split my review in two because it is a double CD. I have played CD1 a number of times already because it is GOOD. I haven't touched CD2. Here is my review of CD1. There is a guess at the end because I think I know who it is. However if this is wrong I will not guess again until I have reviewed CD2 some time next week. The review:
CD1 – Track / Artist

Had to Hear – Real Estate: Bang up my alley as the actress said to the Bishop. Mellow guitar based rock that for some reason put me variously in mind of the Magic Numbers and the Stone Roses. Very now. Never heard of Real Estate but the interweb tells me they’re from New Jersey and Santa has introduced me to a new band making music I want to purchase. Cracking start.

Hi-Five – Angel Olsen: Distorted, clever. Again I love it. Could potentially be used in a film but I can’t decide if it would be directed by Spielberg or Tarantino.

Habit – Ought: I suspect this has been heavily influenced by David Byrne. I’m making comparisons to other artists here because, having initially looked at the track list and thought I knew most of the stuff I’m beginning to realise I know none of it. The first three tracks really “flow” as well. There’s a pace to CD1 at this point that I’m really enjoying.

Let Her Go – Mac DeMarco: Thanks to [MENTION=5200]Buzzer[/MENTION] and his lists of the best of this year I have recently found Mac DeMarco and indeed played Salad Days fairly regularly on Spotify. I started off thinking this was background music but it grew on me with every listen, something it has in common with The War On Drugs, and it continues to get better every time.

Possessed – Eagulls: I just can’t get on with this band’s name. It’s like a Brighton / Palace half and half scarf which is so wrong it hurts. (Actually I really like the track, though I have a massive Post Punk Spotify list from the first time round and there’s genuinely nothing original here)

Big Stars – Perfect Pussy: Screaming female punk. In the words of Murtaugh “I’m too old for this shit”. When I was the right age for it I inhabited night clubs of an entirely different variety.

Black and White – Parquet Courts: Know it. Love it. Dance to it with my kids. Buy it if you haven’t already, it’ll be a purchase you won’t regret. This particular track is like the house band in the coolest club in the hippest city. Sort of the 5,6,7,8s in Kill Bill if they were male and white and did feedback.

Afraid – Posse: Jangly guitars and a mid Atlantic voice. An unexpected swear word aside (and nowt wrong with that) it’s pleasant but not going to make my winter.

Carissa – Sun Kil Moon: This is gorgeous, deep voiced, quirky but achingly sad country tinged wonderfulness. The story seems tragic and yet I could see myself playing this for pleasure over and over again. Quite brilliant.

I Love You But I’m Lost – Sharon Van Etten: Stripped right down to bare bones. Just melancholy piano chords, a late night drum beat and a gorgeous female voice. For all that I can most imagine this playing over the closing credits of the final episode of a season of Grey’s Anatomy where most of the main characters have died, been maimed, got divorced or are urgently shagging.

Holiday In – Marissa Nadler: More female acoustic that somehow appeals more than the previous track. Maybe it’s a preference for guitar over piano. Maybe the lyrics are more poetic. Not sure. I want to hear a whole album of this though, perhaps with a nice bottle of Malbec and a good book after a particularly stressful day.

Seasons (Waiting On You) – Future I: Blimey! A synth! Wasn’t expecting that. It plays, all Moroder like over a Cure influenced bass line and a poppy vocal to give something pleasant but not really me. At least until the violin comes in at the end which nearly made me laugh out loud with pleasure.

Play It Right – Sylvain Esso: This is very me. Another artist I want to check out more of. Ultra modern electro backing with a vocal that sounds like it belongs to an entirely different song and yet works. Clever without being deliberately clever.

Cavity – Hundred Waters: Sadly I am old enough to remember when night clubs had an “erection section”. Well this is the “electro section”. Santa has moved on from jangly and acoustic just at the right time. As a mix this CD works fantastically. Sadly I don’t like this as much as the previous track, I do like it though.

Water Fountain – tUnE yArDs: What can I say? My single of the year. I just put this on really loud and danced round like a nutcase. Unfortunately I was on the 6.27 to London Bridge at the time. My case comes up in March.



Red Eyes – The War On Drugs From my single of the year to my favourite album of the year. One that deservedly had its own thread. One that still gets better with every listen. At this point i wonder if Santa has been stalking me. It is redolent of Dire Straits though. I’m not having this Bryan Adams nonsense.

The Astronaut – What Moon Things: Never heard of What Moon Things. What I get from this is that they don’t do melodies that chime with me personally, but I’d rather listen to this on repeat all day than hear, say, One Direction for thirty seconds. In other words I can tell it’s good but it’s also not for me.

Drown With The Monster – White L: More female punk / art rock. See Perfect Pussy.

I’m Not Part of Me – Cloud Nothings Also fast paced rock but of the variety I adore. Maybe I prefer singing male voices to screaming female ones but this also has a guitar hook that makes you go OH YES!. Very good indeed. *pogos*

Screen Shot – Swans: Ah, Swans. A band I have actively avoided since hearing of their infamous aural assault gigs. So imagine my surprise when this started to build beautifully, layers of sound and vocal cleverly weaving together to make something whole, like a very fancy chef showing Masterchef contestants how to make incredibly complex pastry dishes look easy. A superb ending to the CD and I’m fairly much unable to place it in to any genre. I imagine it just sounds like Swans. I’m going to buy the album and find out.

Overall this is fantastic and I will keep it and play it for pleasure. My Santa is younger than me, cooler and nerdier (nerds are cool). He has a deep musical knowledge whereas mine is more broad. He has no artistic skills at all and terrible hand writing. He told us all when he posted it. I believe it is [MENTION=13836]deletebeepbeepbeep[/MENTION]
 




deletebeepbeepbeep

Well-known member
May 12, 2009
20,957
Thanks for the writeup Guiness Boy, I resent the terrible hand writing comment but take it on the chin- glad you like it. The Sylvan Esso album sort of went under the radar this year- it's good, give the track Coffee a listen, they make really soft Electro tunes. CD2 starts with some Indie pop then garage revival then delves heavily into some Electro and Garage before finishing with folk and experimental rock. I hope you enjoy.

Sorry to my santee again work and other commitments meant that I havent been able to sit in front a computer for more than 5 mins, have made notes, will write it up latest Sunday. Sorree.
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,131
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Thanks for the writeup Guiness Boy, I resent the terrible hand writing comment but take it on the chin- glad you like it. The Sylvan Esso album sort of went under the radar this year- it's good, give the track Coffee a listen, they make really soft Electro tunes. CD2 starts with some Indie pop then garage revival then delves heavily into some Electro and Garage before finishing with folk and experimental rock. I hope you enjoy.

Sorry to my santee again work and other commitments meant that I havent been able to sit in front a computer for more than 5 mins, have made notes, will write it up latest Sunday. Sorree.

If CD2 is anywhere near as good as CD1 you will have done me very proud indeed. Probably a better Christmas present than my wife will get me :)
 


deletebeepbeepbeep

Well-known member
May 12, 2009
20,957
If you're worried about unexpected swear words I wouldn't listen to Two Weeks in polite company BTW, it's pretty explicit in a non aggressive way.
 




Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,131
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
I don't mine 'em. Tend to listen on my headphones first to see if they're suitable in front of kids, ever since the incident where my wife, who has terrible taste in music, played LMFAO on the car radio. I got home from work to fins my four year old yelling "i'm sexy and i know it" :ffsparr:
 




DavePage

Well-known member
Received mine, thank you to my sender it really was like a Christmas surprise as last last years never showed. Will give a listen over the next couple of days and report back.
Packaging great, will post photo. Track listing separate (which is good, it adds to the spirit of things).
Also a nice hand written card to which the wife says “That’s from a woman, no guy writes that nicely”, could be awkward when it comes to guessing. :wrong:
 




Worthingite

Sexy Pete... :D
Sep 16, 2011
4,959
Worthing
Hiya. Have only just moved house, and have no internet to do things properly, but upon opening the door to my flat last week for the first time found a lovely well made CD!!!! Will review properly in due course, but many apologies for not having done mine yet. When the interweb is plumbed in on Tuesday next week I'll be bang on it :)
 














hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
61,295
Chandlers Ford
Might not have been the best night to try to listen to the chill-out CD2 in the car on the way home. I will try again!


Ha. On the contrary, I could have done with a chill out CD last night, after that debacle.
 




Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,131
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Ha. On the contrary, I could have done with a chill out CD last night, after that debacle.

I'm about to start on the second Cd I got from [MENTION=13836]deletebeepbeepbeep[/MENTION] in an effort to take my mind off football. Even a repeat of the Sun Kil Moon track would probably cheer me up!!
 


CorgiRegisteredFriend

Well-known member
May 29, 2011
8,317
Boring By Sea
Ashamed to say I am running late on this one but have just completed track listing. Should be in post Monday.
 


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