Stars Of The Lid - Music For Twin Peaks Episode #30

[1997]

Dug out some old Stars Of The Lid cds recently from a scary cobwebby box at the bottom of the cupboard. Twin Peaks and the music of Twin Peaks influenced a lot of 90s artists and groups on Kranky were the most inspired in their influence. Stars Of The Lid were the crème de la crème of the ambient drone contingent of so called "post rock". They weren't particularly popular though none of my friends ever said can I borrow that groovy new Stars Of The Lid cd Tim. I'd love to know the sales figures rankings of early Kranky releases. When they were the coolest underground record label on the planet before signing Godspeed and Low I imagine they didn't shift vast quantities of cds to rival the likes of Fugazi. There is a book I've been meaning to read You're With Stupid written by Kranky co-founder Bruce Adams that might shed some some light on this topic. Anyway SOTL are probably known to the kids these days because many of their tracks feature prominently in Adam Curtis Documentaries. 

On Music For Twin Peaks Episode #30 we get tenebrous tones and unsettling dark drifting drone-scapes or the eeriest kind. It wouldn't have been out of place if used on the legendary TV show. A fitting musical tribute for Agent Dale Cooper emerging from The Black Lodge after a tumultuous time in the red room with his doppelgänger only to smash his head on a Great Northern Hotel bathroom mirror revealing Bob has deleteriously entered his psyche.

Haunted.

"How's Annie?"

"How's Annie?"

Videofashion presents: Channel Surfing

All the daytime and late night tv nostalgia from the 80s and 90s brought to you on VHS by Pepsi. 

A  V A P O R W A V E extravaganza.

Tonetta - Hitler

[2011?]

Everybody's favourite dodgy cross dressing Leonard Cohen meets Suicide jam. 

骨架的 - microwave

[2010]

When the cosmic ambient end of hypnagogia became vaporwave. If someone said this was a lost track from peak Oneohtrix Point Never from 15 years ago you'd believe them. The shapeshifting sound design here is random and disorienting, pretty exhilarating.

unknown caller + tesseractive(TV) Live @ LATE NIGHT LIGHTS II

[2022]

Plunderphonic sound and vision. This warped  hazy nostalgia of the 1980s in the 2020s is vaporwave to infinity. If you love surfing videos, garish and smeared neon synthwave video graphics, slow-mo 80s funk and stretched early 90s smooth jazz saxophones then this is for you. Degraded and deformed VHS psychedelia. 

Stand By - Videofashion

[2018]

A vaporwave video masterpiece. 

VHS memories.

Pop art.

氷床 Earth - 暗い自然 [Dark Nature]

[2016]

One of the best ambient albums from the last ten years. I guess 暗い自然 [Dark Nature] come at ambient from a vaporwave angle but there are sequences here that could have come straight out of the 90s Isolationism era of dark ambient. The recontextualised source material is chopped and slopped, slowed down, put through a hypnagogic echo chamber and into a fog machine creating superior dark ambience and sonic decay. Amongst the cold and murky terrain an eerie and sombre mood descends. 

Hank & Slim - The World Turned Gingham

[2000]

One of the great post-industrial dark ambient albums. This gets chucked into all sorts of categories now like ambient Americana and hauntology. Anyway this was an inspired collaboration between Zoviet France's Robin Storey and Nigel Ayers from Nocturnal Emissions, I mean that's industrial-ambient royalty innit. You've gotta think that this was probably influential on the likes of Moon Wiring Club, The Focus Group and IX-Tab.

The World Turned Gingham's got the lot it's pretty surreal, psychedelic and quite intense. Not really all that ambient in the "sonic wallpaper" sense as these sound collages have disorienting moments and jarring passages. It gets pretty eerie with all the disembodied voices and chopped and slopped slow motion backwards swarms of sound. There's all sorts of haunting reverberations, mysterious echoes, distant whistles, occult vibes, hallucinatory American radio transmissions, back-masked ghosts in the machines, hazy hypnotic loops, lonesome nocturnal atmospheres even an eldritch death ballad. 

Psychedelic musique concrète of the strangest kind. Far out. 

Starry Eyes · The Records

1979 baby!

 It's power-pop time.

Words are very unnecessary as the immediacy of Starry Eyes has sudden impact. 

This slice of youthful romantic pop rock is perfection. Everything is in the right place: Hooks, guitars, drums and bass all delivered with the right amount of insistent energy. A vibe in sound that is so idealised in my brain that it's the apex where my heart should always belong. 

It's a bit funny though as maybe my delusional nostalgia is hacking my mind because the song is actually a lot more cynical than the innocent boy meets girl bittersweet break-up feelings that this tune initially suggests. You can have your sacking the shonky band manger scenario, I'm sticking with the defiant exuberance of someone moving on because fish, sea and zesty temerity. 

Dracula - Christine Pilzer

[1966]

Back in the 90s kitschy Euro garage/psych/fuzz pop and easy-lounge gear from the 60s and 70s was all the rage and this was one of the great discoveries featured on a foxy ladies of French pop compilation. 

Groove-a-delic cinematic horns and fuzz with sultry french lady vocals put through some foggy echo chamber for a bit of fun horror pop.  

 

[2024]

60 years later: Another song called Dracula with a groove-a-delic beat with all sorts of wah-wah and fuzz reverbed to the max. This one's sung by a man dressed as a foxy lady with guitars, synths and vocals all put through a wonky hypnagogic echo chamber.  

Cosmic Neighbourhood - Tomte's Dream

Tomte's Dream - Cosmic Neighbourhood [2015]

Deliriously psychedelic like you dropped acid watching a kids show on the telly while an old 78 is stuck  on the gramophone. 

Gone Fishing - Cosmic Neighbourhood [2015]

On acid again while an old ice ream van is drowning joyously in a boggy and froggy pond.

Two Faces - Cosmic Neighbourhood [2015]

That mysterious swirling sound that's mildly euphoric in a daydeam-y kinda way. 

Owl - Cosmic Neighbourhood [2015]

A glistening dreamy carousal from the corner of your mind enters the kitchen. You probably need to be off your nanna to enjoy these tunes because they're probably way too annoying for a straight mind.

23, 24, 25 BEST

I skipped doing an end of year music round up last year and the year before for various reasons but mostly because I'm not buying or listening to a hell of a lot of new music or newly re-released music any more. For what it's worth here's a couple of things I enjoyed in the last few years.

2023

Sepia Cat City - Moon Wiring Club

Holy Evil Sister - Controlled Death

2024

Road To Nowhere - CT57

Diamond Jubilee - Cindy Lee

Aeson Zervas - Aeson Zervas

Millbrook Memories - CT57

Distant Sounds Of Desolation - CT57

2025

Gruesome Shrewd/Grisly Exaggerated - Moon Wiring Club

With You Every Night - Ariel Pink

Danse Des Larmes - VÍZ

War Against The Lie - Susu Laroche

Per Tenebras Ad Motem - Controlled Death

Tranquilizer - Oneohtrix Point Never

So that's all pretty hauntologic, hypnagogic and darkly ambient gear. Dream-edelic.

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Old cds, records & tapes on the stereo in 2025
Geogaddi/Campfire Headphase/Twoism - Boards Of Canada

Moons Milk In Four Phases/Black Antlers/The Ape Of Naples - Coil

Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age - Broadcast & The Focus Group

Last American Hero/Genie Head Gas In The Tower Of Dreams/KFC City 3099 PT. 1 Toxic Spill/Star Digital Theatre/Flushpipe/Gecko/Kava Jar Race/iAsia - James Ferraro

Evol - Sonic Youth

Juju - Siouxsie & The Banshees

Maanam - Maanam

Nowa Alexandria - Siekiera

You're Living All Over Me/Bug/Hand It Over - Dinosaur Jr

Seventeen Seconds/Faith/Pornography/Head On The Door/Disintegration - The Cure

You Made Me Realise/Isn't Anything/Glider/Tremelo/Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

Treasure/Victorialand - Cocteau Twins

Mysterious Skin OST - Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd

Xuvetyn - Loveliescrushing

Boys And Girls - Bryan Ferry

Land Of The Lost/Follow Blind/Silver Sail - The Wipers

Emergency Third Power Trip - Rain Parade

Uninvited By The Clouds - The Church

Black Vinyl Shoes/Present Tense - Shoes

Black Sea/Skylarking - XTC

The Monkey Puzzle/Casablanca - The Saints

Automatic Midnight/Suicide Invoice/Audit In Progress - Hot Snakes

Songs About Leaving - Carissa's Weird

So it seems I've been mainly listening to music from the 80s and the 00s. Mostly all about the guitars whether that be jangly, dreamy, noisy, gloomy or gaze-y. Otherwise it was all about the haunted or hypnagogic psychedelic-electro-acoustic experiments.  

After Resident Advisor did a thing on the best electronic albums of the century so far I pretty much decided that had to be Boards Of Canada's distinguished Geogaddi cd even though it didn't even get on their retarded top 100 list. As much as I love my other favourites The Caretaker, Philip Jeck, Burial, The Focus Group, Panda Bear, Daft Punk, Gas, Pole, Fennesz, Rustie etc. Geogaddi to me seems to be outstanding to a startlingly degree... by a long long way. 

As far as the 80s go re-listening to Isn't Anything impressed me the most. As I played it to death back in the day, I've rarely revisited it this century unlike say Cocteau Twins' Treasure which I've never stopped playing for 35 years. Isn't Anything is surprisingly underrated by the new shoegaze kids who can't seem to get past Loveless even though Isn't Anything might be even more innovative and exciting. 

The suave nocturnal moods of Bryan Ferry's Boys & Girls was my second most played album this year after the new Moon Wiring Club epic. So smooth and sophisticated and Mark Knopfler makes an appearance.

Hadn't heard The Cure's Disintegration for 34 years and I was mighty impressed. I mean Robert Smith is always handy with his pop sensibilities and cold gloomy tones but Disintegration gets absolutely delirious in the best best possible way.

 

CT57 - Road to Nowhere

[2024]

A three and a half hour faux field recording of driving along listening to weird late night radio talkback segments amongst wonky vapourwave instrumentals, disorientating hypnagogic sequences and eerie hauntological ambience. The spawn of James Ferraro and the KLF cicra Chill Out. 

The Day the "Conducator" Died (An Xmas Song)

[2012]

From possibly the greatest LP of the 10s comes this stark, dark and somewhat sardonic tune. I'm not sure how Merry Christmas-y it really is but just wait for the the glorious ten seconds at the 7.20 mark where Jingle Bells is played by what sounds like some tiny tiny bells but I think is actually a glockenspiel. 

It's actually about brutal Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu who along with his wife Elena was executed on Christmas day in 1989. So for many that was a very happy day but not for ole Nicolae though, he had to face a mentally deranging episode of ontological insecurity then his brisk demise. The song depicts a delusional man shocked that he was being lined up against a wall so suddenly, wracking his brain as to what caused him to be in front of a firing squad. Yet to the rest of the world it was obvious.

There is a sense of glee when that ten second sequence of Jingle Bells comes in, a feeling of relief as the populace have taken vengeance after years of violent oppression and that perhaps the misery has finally subsided.

Happy Christmas!

Bruce Haak - I Like Christmas

[1981]

The marvellous moog maestro with the ultimate CHRISTMAS ditty. Probably my all-time favourite. An absolute vocoder robot vocal banger! So upbeat it's euphoric. This was part of a split single Bruce Haak did with Tiny Tim and it's a great shame that every household doesn't own a copy. 

Holidays are lots of fun
In winter cold or summer sun
But for me there's only one
Day like Christmas

People smile a special way
Love and gladness fill the day
That is why I'll always say
''I like Christmas''

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Merry Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas!

No More Christmas Blues - Suicide

Hey Lord - Suicide [1981]

Suicide are here to spread some Christmas cheer. 

Nice.

No More Christmas Blues - Alan Vega [1981]

If you thought Hey Lord was a laugh just wait for this one. The hilarity continues. I actually think this is a deranged Suicide classic with their signature down and out in New York city vibe with monosyllabic snarls of barely articulated sentiments. I don't get that this tune is credited to just Vega because it has the same Martin Rev backing track as Hey Lord so... anyway Merry Christmas!

James Ferraro - They Dont Know Its Christmas

[2021]

I haven't checked out new James Ferraro music for like twelve years or so. I missed this one when it came out on Christmas day back in 2021. They Don't Know Its Christmas is some sort of neo-classical electronic Christmas music jam. Nowhere near the mind altering deliriousness of peak Ferraro but it's pleasant enough while it's playing with all of its fake frosty ambient bells, fake choruses, wintry synths and faux holy minimalism. Lonesome Christmas melancholia... 

What happened to this guy? For five or six years he was one of the greatest, most vital and unusual musicians on the planet, running the underground. In 2009 alone, he released sixteen innovative solo albums and they were all pretty good, over half of which were mind blowing epic ambient-drone-noise hypnagogic pop sound-collage extravaganzas.

James Ferraro - Star Digital Theatre: Movies For P.T. Cruisers [2009]

This is not normal music. At the start it might not sound like much but wait until you're about twelve minutes in then tell me how you're going when the bubbling off kilter psychedelic ambient stasis starts getting delirious. Twenty two minutes in and the frenetic tribal new age starts becoming unhinged. Thirty minutes in and the electronic arcade synth-waves are going barmy and zig zag-y... and that's just the first track... 

Vince Guaraldi Trio - My Little Drum

[1965]

Classy Christmas classic.

Cocteau Twins - Frosty The Snowman

[1993]

Suitably Cocteau-y and also pretty faithful.

Merry Christmas.

Orange Appled [1986]

They had a bunch of tunes with bells in. So Cocteau time is always Christmas time.

Those Eyes, That Mouth [1986]

Hard to go past this tune from the same ep. I mean this is absolute peak Cocteau Twins right here. All out bliss out!

Al Jourgensen - It's Always Christmas Time

[2009]

Ministry do a Christmas song and I like a very lot! 

Like Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie guesting with Ministry to cover Flock Of Seagulls' Space Age Love Song but with new Christmas lyrics.

Merry Christmas.

It's Always Christmas!