New Music

Splendid dreamy US indie pop album in a similar vein to Built to Spill.

Dianogah - Battle Champions

Absolutely first class post-rock album. The usual mix of repeating, leftfield guitar lines killer drumming and occaisional ill adivised attempts at singing. Unusual in that there is very little lead guitar with most songs being exclusively bass and "sharp bass" (6 string bass half way between guitar and bass apparently).

There's more on Dianogah at Pillowfight

Badly Drawn Boy - Hour of the Bewilderbeast

Bit of a disapointment after all the hype. It is very accomplished, well put together and certainly deserves a try if only for being more ambitious than most. Others may get more from it but, as yet, it I haven't really connected with it.

Sweeder - Swallowed by the Sun

Sparse, world weary folkish songs from moody and depressing three piece. Lyrics are of the "I'm really sensitive and poetic" variety which you either love or find immensely annoying. A bit patchy but definitely has its moments if you like that sort of thing.

Vivid Low Sky - Music for Movies Unmade

Basically an instrumental rock album which is actually quite hard to describe. Its definitely not post-rock and is more like the sort of instrumental album that a US indie rock outfit would come up with. Very conventional and melodic and I had dismissed it as rather unispired but on a few more listens it has grown on me. A bit like Dark Star but less trad rock and more alternative rock.

Matthew

David Bowie - Hours

Excellent production, super tunes, very tight band - pop(?) music with depth.

Must get the XTC album.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Pete.

quote:

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David Bowie - Hours

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I purchased that a couple of months ago. I gave it a single listen, and it didn't grab me. Because I used to worship Bowie, I kept the album out of respect. I'll give it another listen today. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

P.S. Mike, I was never a fan of Bowie in my youth, but I'm starting to rediscover now, so it may be a question of not comparing his recent output to his previous classics.

All the live performances I've seen recently have been superbly tight, and I think this is captured on the latest album - normally I'm disappointed when I seek out albums of music I've seen live, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Regarding XTC, there was nothing released between Nonsuch and "Apple Venus, Volume 1". However, if liked "Nonsuch", then be sure to get "Skylarking" and "Oranges & Lemons". "Mummer", "English Settlement" and "The Big Express" are also great listens, but in a slightly different style.

I'm actually not into much of their early post-punk stuff. It's a little too angry and disorganized compared to their newer material. I do listen to it on occasion, though. It's kind of funny that many of XTC's fans are stratified between the old and new material. I'm definitely in the "new" camp, while many others are in the "old" one. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

Just remastered on CD and the sound of 'Five Leaves Left' is noticeably more etched, but one curious thing - that and 'Bryter Layter' are non-HDCD but 'Pink Moon', one of the lowest-fi albums ever, is! Shame, really.

BTW, the number is 5, and you've hit it. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

ex-audiophile

quote:

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Vuk please cut out the icon stuff.

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The smilies are the only thing that are superior on this forum compared to the old one, and I don't understand why you would want to limit their use. From a technical perspective, the icons are already downloaded to our machines, so it's not a problem with bandwidth. (Only one copy of a given image is downloaded, even if appears hundreds of times on the page.)

So other than the fact that it's mildly subversive, there is really no reason to ban them. Besides, they're amusing. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

Here's some new stuff, for me:

Brahms Piano Concertos - Emil Gilels on piano on the DG reissue. I don't have any other copies, but the versions I've heard on the radio can't compare.

Bartok's works for piano and orchestra - Gyorgy Sandor plays all the concertos and the the Rhapsody and Scherzo for only $10 on Vox! The 1st is better than Schiff's more recent version, and the 3rd is of the same quailty, but the 2nd suffers somewhat. Guess I better buy Geza Anda's version?

A set of 5 Beethoven Piano Sonatas played by Walter Gieseking. The Pathetique and Moonlight are included. Recorded in 1956 I believe. $4 new on Seraphim. Bless EMI's reissue department. I implore piano music fans to seek this disc out.

I snagged two installments of Philips' Great Pianists series - the Dinu Lipatti and first John Ogdon set. I adore, nay, love the Lipatti. It is better than I expected. The Schumann and Bach works alone are worth the price. The Chopin, Mozart, and Grieg seal the deal. I respect the Ogdon. The Concerto for Solo Piano by Valentin Ogdon is the work for me in the set. The Busoni Piano Concerto is too long and sounds like a showpiece of skilled orchestration without any real purpose or focus. Good, but not great. I do adore Ogdon's early playing abilities, though, so I'm very glad I got the set.

The first disc of Martinu's string quartets on Naxos. Wonderful. Not at the same level as Bartok or Shostakovich, but enthralling all the same.

Karl Amadeus Hartmann's string quartets on CPO. The first is a 20th century masterpiece, no doubt about it. The second is less inspiring, but should definitely not be overlooked.

Piano works by Howard Hanson on Naxos. Thomas Labe is an outstanding pianist. (His work on the Dorian label, especially some Lizst, attests to that.) The works here vary in quality, but the Sonata and Poeme erotiques are outstanding.

Orchestral works by Georges Enescu on Arte Nova. The first rhapsody is of course very good and the other works are good. Not especially inspiring, but for $5, who cares?

There are others, but I can't remember them all. I need to get some more. I'm eyeing EMI's Furtwangler cycle of Brahms symphonies. Any opinion on that set?

Anyway, thanks to all for the XTC thing - resulted in my spending more money than planned as I found out there's 2 versions of Apple Venus vol.1, the studio version and 'Homespun' a demo tape, work in progress version. Both feature exactly the same tracks but in very different forms, and both are excellent so had to buy them, as it gives an interesting insight into the creative process.

Even more pleased as I've found Apple Venus vol.1
(both) and 2 on vinyl. All I need now is to do the lottery.

Transistor blast is next on the list.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

It is, however, a stupendous album, which has now almost become my favourite - mostly just guitar and voice, such realism!

60s/70s fans should also be made aware that the Beach Boys' great albums Sunflower and Surf's Up have just been reissued, 24-bit remastered (whatever that means) on a single CD at mid-price!! What are you waiting for?

And, for XTC, if you don't want to buy all the CDs , tho they are good and are available on vinyl, there is also a "Greatest Hits" CD that came out recently. I don't remember the title, but might be worthwhile for the person who doesn't want to get 5+ CDs of the stuff.

Oh, the Greatest Hits CD does NOT include tracks from the two (three?) Apple Venus CDs - only the old stuff.

- GregB
Edited by me today

I'd love to know 'cause (Chips fom the something or other) was one of those albums I never quite got round to buying.

Cheers,
Gary.

P.s.
Mike I enjoyed The Sunday's Static & Silence.

Regarding the Sundays, I've got two of their albums, but I haven't picked up that one yet. I'll have to give it a listen. Thanks for the suggestion. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

Artist: David Gray
Title: White Ladder

Sample it at your favourite Internet music vendor.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

• 12 Rods "Separation Anxieties" - I still really enjoy this.
  
• Kevin Gilbert "Thud" - This is very good, but not nearly as good as...
  
• Kevin Gilbert "The Shaming of the True" - It's been a favourite for a year now.
  
• Doves "Lost Souls" - This is also very enjoyable, and I play it fairly often.
  
• Wilco "Summerteeth" - It's still great, and I like it better than their newer "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (although that one's not too bad either).
  
• XTC "Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume II)" - I still think this is a great album, but I needed to take a break from XTC for a while. I'm just getting back into them, though, and I'll probably give this album a spin later today.
  
• Dukes of Stratosphear (XTC's alter ego) - This was fun for the first while, but its cuteness has grown tiresome.
  
• Badly Drawn Boy "Hour of the Bewilderbeast" - I love this album!
  
• David Bowie "Hours" - It's still poor, AFAIC.
  
• David Gray "White Ladder" - This is a good album, but certainly not the classic that everyone else seems to suggest. The demeanor on this album doesn't vary all that much, and by the end of it I find myself getting rather bored.