The following are the albums I've ripped to my iPhone for February listening. I don't have any personal
opinions on many of these albums yet, but your comments would be appreciated. Especially, tracks that you think I
should pay particular attention to.

The albums roughly into their area of interest this month, which is:

• Alternative Rock
  
• Alternative Folk
  
• Modern Cabaret
  

To Survive (2008) by Joan as Police Woman



Joan is a personal fave. I don't know how I missed this issue last summer.


Against the Stars (1997) by Dambuilders



90's Indie. Found a stack of pre-owned Dambuilders albums at the headshop/music store I habituate. Joan Wasserman (aka Joan as Policewoman) was a member of this band before going solo.
The albums Against the Stars, Ruby Red, and Encendedor are supposed to be the best of the Dambuilder's catalog.

Ruby Red (1999) by Dambuilders




Encendedor (1994) by Dambuilders




Suspiria (1993) by Miranda Sex Garden



Probably the two best of Miranda Sex Garden

Madra (1991) by Miranda Sex Garden




In the Future (2008) by Black Mountain



What my mates are listening to.

Alas I Cannot Swim (2008) by Laura Marling



Recommended by a friend, due to my Neco Case episode.


Excerpts From a Love Circus (1996) by Lisa Germano



Woman-friend recommended I listen to this. Got it pre-owned in the same binge that bought The Dambuilders. I liked the lyrics on Germano's Geek the Girl but don't own it.


Live in New York (2006) by Jonatha Brooke



Plum wasn't hard to listen to.


Two Penny Opera (2006) by Tiger Lillies



Left over from last month's modern cabaret prodject. The 'Money' track made it onto my playlist.


Gallimaufry (2004) by Circus Contraption



Yet another leftover from the cabaret project. The 'Klezmerde' track made it onto my playlist. I eventually had to go back and purge a lot of the klezmer music from the
list by other bands.

Alacartoona - Songs from the Show - 01 - Willkommen
Antony and the Johnsons - Antony and the Johnsons - 02 - Cripple and the Star Fish
Circus Contraption - Gallimaufry - 05 - Klezmerde
Coma Savants - Coma Savant - 08 - Eating Machine
Decemberists - 5 Songs - 03 - My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist
Devotchka - Super Melodrama - 02 - Devotchka!
Doors - The Doors (40th Anniversary Edition) - 05 - Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls - 06 -Coin Operated Boy
Enrique Bunbury - Pequeño - 04 - Sólo Si Me Perdonas
Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike - 09 - Start Wearing Purple
HellBlinki Sextet - The Sextet HellBlinki - 09 - Tarentella
Jill Tracy - Projekt Presents a Dark Cabaret - 03 - Evil Night Together
Leonard Cohen - The Essential Leonard Cohen [2] - 12 - A Thousand Kisses Deep
Marc Almond - A Virgin's Tale, Vol. 2 - 01 - Gyp the Blood
Nicki Jaine - Projekt Presents a Dark Cabaret - 06 - Pretty Faces
Nico - The Classic Years - 18 - You Forgot to Answer
Queen - A Night At the Opera (MFSL) - 07 - Seaside Rendezvous
Rasputina - Frustration Plantation (Limited Edition) [1] - 13 - Momma Was an Opium-Smoker
Tiger Lillies - Two Penny Opera - 09 - Money
Tin Hat Trio - Memory Is an Elephant - 03 - Big Top
Tom Waits - The Black Rider - 02 - The Black Rider
Voltaire - Boo Hoo - 10 - BRAINS!
Xyra & Verborgen - Where Glass Birds Fly- 05 - Postcards in the Rain

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Black Jacque,

Heard em first on a surf video and tracked down teh album. Been listening to little else over the past few weeks; great mp3 jogging vibes.
AC/DC back in the day. All good old fashioned Aussie rock.

The Best Of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years

I used to own a "Best Of" Costello CD, but it has disappeared somewhere into the black hole known as my dad's minivan.
This album, which apparently Costello himself chose the songs for, is almost exactly the same songlist as the other I had, with a few additions.
All my favourites, like "Alison", "Watching the Detectives", and "Shipbuilding", are here, with the addition of "Red Shoes", and "I Want You".
"Alison" always makes me think of Colin Laney explaining his story to Blackwell in Tokyo. "taste the wet, warm life in Alison Shires".
Costello has a way of putting words together that makes the hair on my arms stand up, and the music is beautiful too.

I used to like Elvis Costello, until he married Diana Krall.

I was saving her for myself.

yesterday i picked up a few things in the zavvi "why won't the place just get on with dying" sale.
a 3CD+1DVD nina simone collection. got a good chunk of the material already, but definitely some stuff i don't, and hopefully some coll versions. oh look, (listening now) that piece from the revolution road trailer which i didn't have before.

faithless - the best of - for £2 they have some catchy tunes.
tricky - maxine quaye - i remember this having some good stuff on it, but never actually had it.
nitin sawhney - london underground - been curious about him, and this album reads curious enough to be a starting point. especially at £6 for his most recent release.

quote:

tricky - maxine quaye - i remember this having some good stuff on it, but never actually had it.

Martine and Goldfrapp are two faves of mine. (Tricky always gets the girls.) Black Steel is the best track, IMOHO.

Tricky's cover of "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" *always* kills me live. So damn good.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
This is really good, calmly confident, hooky, basic Americana. Heavy on keys, which is a nice change-up for me. A singer who evokes a comforting kind of relaxed cynicism, and guys who can sing backup in anonymous-crowd mode, lending oomph without adding complexity. No showing away. No look-at-me doodly-doodly or vocal antics. They sound as if they'd be perfectly happy playing in a closet with no one listening. "Listen to us, or don't. Whatever." Some nice flights of lyrical ruthlessness. I recommend.

Still digesting McMurtry's Live in Aught Three. What a great companion for a plane ride. Listened to it on the way to NYC, had the songs running in my head all week, eagerly listened to it a couple times on the way back. Rationing it a bit so as not to risk getting tired of it. But there seems little real risk of that.

The Hold Steady, coincidentally now on my iPod. Have still been heavy into Bob Forrest from January, with a big dose of Clutch over the weekend. Man, I love Clutch. In someways, reminds me of fIREHOSE on caffeine.

quote:

Originally posted by Justy:
Tricky's cover of "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" *always* kills me live. So damn good.

Not a big PE fan. However, Martine who did the studio version on Maxinquaye smokes.

She's got an album Bittersweet Love (2007) I have not heard. Its expensive and hard to find in the States.

quote:

In the Future (2008) by Black Mountain

I am liking this album. Its got this Indie-Black Sabbath appeal. And, they're a Vancouver-based band, too.

Webber's voice has a flutter in it that reminds me of Joanna Newsom. As much as I hate to admit it, the 17:00 min track Bright Lights has been my favorite. I've been queuing it for 15-minute trips.

^^Cannot recommend this enough. Words fail me. Listen now.^^^

And some Lyrics Born.

Muse - HAARP Live from Wembley Stadium

Holy Pope in a catapult!
The Knights of Cydonia intro is grotesquely magnificent.

mclusky - mcluskyism

Lamb of God - Wrath
For fans of the band(or even the genre), you will pleased to know that Blythe's vocals have continued to gain depth. The guitarists actually seem to have learned how to play their instruments as well. not that they weren't intuitive before, but it seems that they've gained a concrete knowledge of theory that was lacking. must be from hanging with Gojira

The Prodigy : Invaders Must Die



Pure aural goodness.

quote:

Originally posted by Bictaker:


Heard em first on a surf video and tracked down teh album. Been listening to little else over the past few weeks; great mp3 jogging vibes.
AC/DC back in the day. All good old fashioned Aussie rock.

If you like their music, go and see one of their gigs. I saw them during a festival and while I dislike this kind of music, I must say they're a very good live band. You won't be disappointed.

quote:

Originally posted by ArkanGL:
The Prodigy : Invaders Must Die



Pure aural goodness.

I'm so happy to hear that. Granted, I did like "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned," so my tolerance of middling Prodigy is high.

quote:

"Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned"

I liked it too.
So maybe I'm not the best judge.

quote:

To Survive (2008) by Joan as Police Woman

I am liking this album. Joan at times reminds me of Karin Bergquist in this album. Although she lacks Bergquist's training.