Me and My Big Mouth Record Club

The largely underrated but very listenable-to William Alwyn is composer of the week on Radio 3 this week (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/cotw/) – well worth a listen or listen again.

…is this. It’s great fun.

Tempted as I was to look for tracks involving bread, milk and tins of beans (There’d be a lot of Billy Bragg on that one) I went instead for the meaning of ‘looking for lost gods’.

01 Albinoni, Tomaso – Adagio in G minor

This has to be my favourite track of everything I own. I get lost in this one.

02 Breil – This Mortal Coil W Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) – Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley Cover)

This fitted the theme well, I thought, and flowed rather nicely.

03 Katsuya Yokoyama- Sanya sugagaki

I’ve become interested in Japanese music recently

04 Charles Mingus – Group Dancers

Jazz. Everyone know that Gods like jazz.

05 Messiaen – Quartet for the End of Time – Mvt. 1 – Liturgie de Cristal

Melodic and beautiful
06 Vanessa-Mae – Classical Gas

A blending of Classical and Modern.
07 Lisa Gerrard – Persian Love Song

The cradle of lost gods, in my opinion

08 Moroccan Spirit – nocturnal ritual

It went well with the rest
09 Gershwin – Rhapsody In Blue

An old favourite

Sorry to have been so quiet recently. I’ll try and catch up with comments and responses over the weekend.

I’ve finished burning my February CD, which I’ll post as soon as I’ve hunted down some suitable envelopes. I have no rational explanation for choosing these tracks, but they seemed to somehow fit Rachel’s theme.

Aria from the Goldberg Variations: JS Bach
Glenn Gould hums throughout, but the playing and interpretation are sublime.

Ooh Ah Eh: Vern Blair Debate
But it’s time to shop, and for that you need to listen to something funky and wear unsuitable trousers.

Firn Di Mekhutonim Ayem: Odessa
Except you get transported to Eastern Europe, where you witness something very strange indeed.

Fanfare Ciocarla: Ciocarlia
Yep. Some wild sounds from Transylvania. This hurts your head the first time round, but you consider asking for an encore.

Basbasa: Burhan Ocal & The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble
You’re in Turkey now and witnessing some serious virtuosity.

Ulixes: Harmonia Ensemble & Kocani Orkestar
When suddenly a bunch of Macedonians get together with some Italians and start jamming in the middle of the desert.

Woman Made The Devil: Bongos Ikwue
You wake up in Nigeria, where you realise that you still haven’t done that shopping.

Sextet in B-Flat Major, Op. 18: II. Andante, Ma Moderato: Brahms
So you drop in to see Louis Malle’s Les Amants and are inspired to buy the soundtrack. Instead you find an even better recording of the Brahms performed by a bunch of geniuses: Alexander Schneider, Isaac Stern, Madeline Foley, Milton Katims, Milton Thomas & Pablo Casals.

Meron Nign/Tune From Meron: The Klezmer Conservatory Band
After that, you’re drained. You drop off to sleep listening to some more Klezmer.

What Good Am I Without You: Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club Orchestra
And realise you’ve been harking after false gods. You’re useless unless you’re with your beloved.

If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day: Robert Johnson
Sadly, you reflect, some other man got my woman and the -’a lonesome blues got me.

Dites, si c’était vrai: Jacques Brel
And now you’re not even sure whether Jesus existed, or whether it’s just a pretty story. Just as well the wise men remembered to do the shopping.

I liked this selection which felt like it had a mellow country flavour to it – first listen was during an evening when I was in a very relaxed mood and this was a perfect accompaniment. However, I still  need more convincing re. the Scandinavian songbirds and I found Windmill quite dreadful. I keep getting the urge to tell them to buck up a bit. Highlights for me were the first Biirdie (the second sounded like a B side from the 60s), Band of Horses, and the Erin McKeown and Hailey Wojcik which reminded me of Frente who I like a lot.  Overall, I’d say I liked the shorter pieces better. I think there’s a tendency to drift on for too long rather than getting on with it in pop music (one reason why I didn’t like the Lou Barlow much). Standout for me is the Marta Sebesteyn from English Patient (one of the few films I’d argue is better than the book) – you had a series of pieces on your blog a while ago about music which makes you cry, and while the EP soundtrack doesn’t quite do that for me, it does put me in a state of pleasant melancholia. I think her voice is wonderful. I’m feeling a bit teary just thinking about it…

I’ve interpreted the prompt rather loosely so I’ve taken ’shopping’ to mean any kind of ’searching’ or ‘yearning, and ‘gods’ to be anything of value. I’ve interpreted ‘lost’ as either ‘lost’ or ‘missing’. In general. The actual CD goes out tomorrow (burning tonight), but here’s what to expect:

1. Before the waking hour, birdsong, recorded by Geoff Sample on the CD Birdsong in Britain: I think this is a perfect time to search for any kind of lost god and I often play birdsong when I’m in a contemplative mood. Of course, working in a garden office means I often hear it anyway but it’s sometimes good to boost it a little.

2. Bright College Days, Tom Lehrer. The nostalgia for the happiest days of our lives as students is nothing if not shopping for a lost god. TL is one of my favourite singer-songwriters – witty, urbane, intelligent, fun, perceptive, and writes tunes you can really remember and hum – expect him to pop up again in the future on my lists.

3. Sit Down, by James. This song actually does refer to a kind of lost god,  though not technically shopping for it, as well as other kinds of searching. It reminds me of a former editor of mine who, while I was on lates one evening, came hurtling through the newsroom (he was a big man), singing this song at the top of his voice, not realising anyone was there to observe it (I was crouching under my desk at the time). A lovely moment. He used to run a record shop and always rather wanted to do so again.

4.  A New England by Kirsty MacColl. I actually prefer her father’s voice but I think she sings this song about what she is and isn’t looking for very well. And of course Billy B knows his onions.

5. When I Fall in Love, by Julie London. A gorgeous voice (and a looker too, if I might make so bold) and a classic song about how easy it is for things to go wrong and how important it is to look forward optimistically to a successful shopping expedition in the future.

6. Adonde vais by Judith and Tamar Cohen. A personal and successful piece of god shopping. A few years ago I was getting rather fed up of being a journalist and, casting around for possible articles, by chance interviewed traditional and early sephardic music expert Judith Cohen. Not only was she a mine of information, she turned out to be a lovely person too and virtually singlehandedly reinvigorated my interest in journalism. Tamar is her daughter who sometimes appears with her.

7.  All We Ever Look For by Kate Bush.  Wuthering Heights was the first record I bought. 

8.  Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago. Everybody is shopping for lost gods of all description everywhere you look in the book and film which is also one of my favourite pieces of celluloid. 

9. Four o’clock Flower Blues by Willie Blackwell. I’ve chosen this as it’s one of the pieces collected by Alan Lomax, arguably the greatest song collector of the 20th century. He wasn’t shopping for lost gods so much as collecting current ones in danger of being mislaid but I think it just about fits the prompt. And a bit of Blues does too.

10. At Last by Etta James. An upbeat note to finish on. Somebody who has reached the end of the shop and is happily satisfied. I find this really luscious. 

I decided to use Rachel’s Shopping For Lost Gods prompt as an excuse for a bit of a mood piece. I have no idea what any of these songs or bands have to do with that theme, but they sort of feel right to me. If that makes any sense.

Biirdie – Catherine Avenue
I first heard Biirdie on Morning Becomes Eclectic which is a podcast from KCRW in LA. They have different bands on the show playing extended sessions every week. Most aren’t my cup of tea but there was something about this lot that appealed to me. The album is a grower so I recommend giving this track a few listens before forming an opinion.

Band Of Horses – No One’s Gonna Love You
I missed most of the last series of Later With Jools Holland because I watch almost no television so lose track of when programmes start and end. I did catch the last twenty minutes or so of one show though and that is when I saw these guys. Looking like a bunch of tattooed gas station attendants from Nowheresville, Kentucky they made a remarkable noise and the lead singer (the oddest looking of the bunch) had an almost angelic voice.

Kevin Shields – Ikebana
I’ve gone a bit instrumental in places. Scarlett Johanson’s bum in the opening credits of Lost In Translation is a wonder to behold and I really must watch that movie again. Great soundtrack with some fine incidental music, like this track.

Hanne Hukkelberg – Break My Body
When you upload a CD to iTunes there is a little window which recommends other bands or artists you might like. I’ve been noting down the more interesting ones and checking them out over time. With my fondness for all things female and Scandinavian it is no surprise that Hanne Hukkelberg appealed. The album has that fractured, fragmented feel that I quite like and this track, at the time of writing at least, is the stand out one for me.

Jeffrey Taylor & Ned Rifle – Cue #11
Part of the score to Hal Hartley’s wonderful movie Amateur.

PJ Harvey – When Under Ether
Sheena Na Gig 12” singles stacked up neatly by the counter. Very popular they were back in my days in HMV Southend. I have been a moderate fan of Polly and followed her career with interest but not, it must be said, the devotion that many seem to show. I like her stuff, love some of it, but have never seen her live and can’t pretend to be evangelical. Her new album, though, is an absolute wonder. Intensely beautiful. I came to it late having heard this very song on Late Junction and not realising who it was. I thought it sounded like Juana Molina actually.

Stafraenn Hakon – Taetir Raekju
My old mates at HMV occasionally send me over a music parcel. This CD was in one such package. I know nothing about it at all except that it makes for great reading music.

Hailey Wojcik – Nabokov’s Butterfly
YouTube works. A video from Hailey was one of their featured clips for a week and I lazily clicked through and was so impressed I downloaded the album. Successful internet marketing.

Lou Barlow – Puzzle
There is a Beck album called Sea Change which is an absolute classic and is bound to appear on many Best Album Ever lists for years to come. Critics still go on about it and some of you may well own it. The Lou Barlow album Emoh is its equal in every way. It just took me a while to realise it.

Veda Hille – A Fine Start
Return Of The Kildeer was my album of 2006. I haven’t played it for a while. This is worryingly lovely.

Windmill – Fluorescent Lights
Another iTunes find. From somewhere up north apparently. Awesome soundscapes with an amazing voice. Quite disappointing when you see live footage as it isn’t quite as grand as you’d imagine. I find this both uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time.

Eleni Karaindrou & Kim Kashkashian – Ulysses’ Theme: Variation II
There is a very dull movie called Ulysses’ Gaze which stars Harvey Keitel and in which very little happens. The score is amazing though and every track from it is as good as this one.

Svante Henryson – Traces
Cello with a bit of a difference.

Hem – The Fire Thief
Another gem from the music parcels. I find her voice to be so clean and clear. They also do great cover versions of So. Central Rain and Radiation Vibe.

Cat Power – Islands
I adored her last album but haven’t felt moved to get the new cover versions collection. Might get round to it.

Mary Lorson & Saint Low – Friends, I Have Been Drinking
Lorson was the lead singer in Madder Rose who were 90s indie also-rans. She has settled into a lo-fi and low-key existence since then and this song is a favourite of mine. I love her singing in the chorus.

Marta Sebestyen – En Csak Azt Csodalom
Made famous by its inclusion in The English Patient movie.

Bonnie Prince Billy – Love Comes To Me
For some reason Shopping For Lost Gods makes me think of sad songs. Even when Billy sings about love it sounds tragic.

Erin McKeown – Queen Of Quiet
Silly and delightful.

Nina Kinert – Hey Jack
Listen to the words. She is being very rude. Made all the more enticing by the fact that she is a stunningly beautiful woman. As if I stand a chance!

Neko Case – That Teenage Feeling
Too short, but wonderful while it lasts. Great crescendo thing going on.

Jim Croce – Narrative
Hardly any of my parents’ albums have made it into my own collection. My mum liked The Beatles, my dad Tangerine Dream. I do recall getting into their Jim Croce LPs though. There was a live album where most of the playing time was taken up with him telling stories of life as a truck driver. He could easily have made a living as a stand up comedian. Anyway, I like the sentiment behind this short speech.

Biirdie – Who Were You Thinking Of?
I just think that this is a genius choice for cover version.

And it is Rachel’s turn to pick a theme.  As long is it isn’t ‘My Favourite Pulp Songs’ then we should all be OK.

This was the only CD that had lots of stuff I didn’t really know but which I appear to like.

The first four bands are all completely new to me and I am keen to check them out further.  Stars were particularly inteteresting.

Hefner are OK, and work in the mix here, but I don’t go for them much.

Liked the SJ5 one though.

Grandaddy and Pavement are both wonderful.  I have these tracks but haven’t listened to them for ages.  Thanks for reminding me how great they are.

The next 3 or 4 were good, like them.  I should love Lambchop but have yet to find the one song to completely convince me.

And then Pulp pop up again.  Oh well.

The Decemberists were really interesting.  Their CD is in the Play.com 2 for £10 so I have snapped it up.

This is the one that is getting played the most in my house.