Nature intended the abstract for you and me
>>>
― paolo, Wednesday, 19 March 2014 09:17 (ten years ago) link
Listened to Colossal Youth for the first time in a long time and realized how much I like the guitar playing. Never knew Moxham played a Rickenbacker.
― timellison, Monday, 13 July 2015 05:24 (eight years ago) link
http://front.bc.ca/events/concert-by-young-marble-giants/
― hot doug stamper (||||||||), Friday, 18 September 2015 20:48 (eight years ago) link
amazing
― tylerw, Friday, 18 September 2015 20:50 (eight years ago) link
bump for the greatness of that video
― Van Horn Street, Monday, 11 July 2016 21:32 (seven years ago) link
The long stony faces of the men, the slightly bewildered girl, everyone uncomfortable in their own skin. The muddled black and white, and the odd tempo to the whole proceedings. That video feels a piece to Stranger than Paradise.
― juggulo for the complete klvtz (bendy), Tuesday, 12 July 2016 13:56 (seven years ago) link
I had not seen that video, thanks for the bump! What a wonderful band.
― this is a salad for the BALSAMIC REVIVAL (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 12 July 2016 15:18 (seven years ago) link
Another bump for that video!
― Everything Moves Towards The Sun (Ross), Tuesday, 21 February 2017 23:08 (seven years ago) link
Why didn't anyone tell me? New (2018) album from Alison Statton & Spike, "Bimini Twist": https://alisonstattonspike.bandcamp.com/album/bimini-twist
― ernestp, Sunday, 6 January 2019 01:45 (five years ago) link
Sounds good! Statton's voice barely ages.
Re the original question: Very classic. Some hurtful comments about Weekend up-thread though. Some days I think I prefer the Weekend album to the YMG one.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 6 January 2019 03:28 (five years ago) link
I just read a comment by some peasant describing this band as lounge music. The fucking nerve! I firmly believe this is one of the punk-est albums of all time. It might sound “too clean” for what you’d normally expect for a punk album to sound like but that is a very non-punk mentality in itself.
Isn’t the punk rock attitude to destroy established perceptions of what things should be and sound like? To say “fuck you” to the excessive sound of stadium rock? Its undiscriminated use of solos, ridiculous costumes and massive banks of equipment in elaborate stages? You certainly can’t accuse YMG of maximalism. The sound they created is so unique it might have arrived from an alternative reality.
Honestly, it’s hard to trace a time or a place for it. There’s nothing quite like it and the fact this album came from 1980 always blows my mind.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 29 August 2019 04:29 (four years ago) link
Beach Party by the Marine Girls is kinda like it
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 29 August 2019 04:36 (four years ago) link
The only reason I can think of for that is maybe the sound of the organ. I hardly think their songs, the drum machine stuff, or the guitar and bass sound like lounge music.
― timellison, Thursday, 29 August 2019 13:04 (four years ago) link
A good cover by another of my favorite bands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_f2kMgUxp8
― McGrief the Crying Dog (Old Lunch), Thursday, 29 August 2019 13:16 (four years ago) link
wow, Sugar Plant have a album on Spotify from 2018!!! I thought they broke up years ago.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 29 August 2019 15:51 (four years ago) link
Whoa, what?!?
― McGrief the Crying Dog (Old Lunch), Thursday, 29 August 2019 15:53 (four years ago) link
yep, called Headlights... they cover Ben Watt's North Marine Drive on it!
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 29 August 2019 16:01 (four years ago) link
I would never call YMG "lounge," but some songs do conjure up moods not far removed from "Girl from Ipanema" or "Summer Samba" for me. And the drum machine, while not lounge, is a sound from the past, like my aunt playing her Lowrey organ at Christmastime when I was a kid.
I love this record so much, but it's one of a handful I consciously don't pull out often, because I don't want to overplay it and wear out its magic.
― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Friday, 30 August 2019 14:13 (four years ago) link
Lounge music my arse
― paolo, Friday, 30 August 2019 17:23 (four years ago) link
Superficially, Colossal Youth reminds me most of There's a Riot Going On and VU's s/t. It feels like everyone, musician and listener, is shut up together in a medium-sized cabinet.
― McGrief the Crying Dog (Old Lunch), Friday, 30 August 2019 17:28 (four years ago) link
Just looked over a review I wrote for the reissues 12 years ago - had forgotten that I pondered the squareness, though I don't think I'd have reached for "lounge" as a descriptor. I didn't see that squareness as a drawback:
http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3835
...now that the thing has been beloved to me for more than a decade, it's hard to recover those first impressions.
― bendy, Friday, 30 August 2019 17:51 (four years ago) link
There's some beachy vibes to the follow-up group The Weekend, who are excellent. But seedy, schmaltzy "lounge"? No.
That said, I'm going to share my favorite Weekend track just because there's never a bad time: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E9WCCHHoepw
― Soundslike, Friday, 30 August 2019 18:31 (four years ago) link
Nice piece, Bendy, thanks for sharing.
― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Friday, 30 August 2019 18:53 (four years ago) link
Thanks DP
― bendy, Saturday, 31 August 2019 04:44 (four years ago) link
Have you’ve heard about this band called Furniture?
https://youtu.be/3pkisXg5jCc
Furniture is in no way related to YMG, but heard this song just now for the very first time and loved it. Apparently it’s from 1983 and the first artist that came to mind is YMG, also gives some vibes of Echo & the Bunnymen.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 12 September 2019 05:20 (four years ago) link
I honestly can’t tell if that’s a drum machine or a real drummer... or a mix of both. But drum machine + sustained organ lines are also the basis sound of YMG
It’s only missing the distinctive YMG bass sound and Alison’s voice, of course, but we get a cool clarinet sound and some Echo & the Bunnymen vocal instead.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 12 September 2019 05:32 (four years ago) link
furniture had a big(ish) uk hit a few years later with this, which is a bit smoother. (and this is yet another band that reminds me of Japan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx37AWqSPU0
― koogs, Thursday, 12 September 2019 08:35 (four years ago) link
some Wild Swans in there too
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 12 September 2019 13:03 (four years ago) link
Never saw this thread before---reminds me that I long ago came across a few post-Giants tracks with voice and songs of Alison Stratton, very intriguing, and now I want to look for more. Meanwhile, this archived Voice reviewette of the worthy Domino collection still details and sums up their appeal (to me, anyway):https://myvil.blogspot.com/2016/06/young-marble-giants-colossal-youth-and.html
― dow, Friday, 13 September 2019 04:01 (four years ago) link
you're talking about the band Weekend, I assume?
― sleeve, Friday, 13 September 2019 14:09 (four years ago) link
Never, and that first track is wonderful, thanks!
― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Friday, 13 September 2019 14:38 (four years ago) link
Weekend is food but that weekend demos release from a few years ago is great.
― dan selzer, Friday, 13 September 2019 14:42 (four years ago) link
xpost sleeve, I heard Stratton in a duo, blanking on the other name, something unexpectedly turned up on the old Rhapsody streaming service, while I was checking out a computer at Best Buy, 10 years ago maybe.
― dow, Friday, 13 September 2019 20:38 (four years ago) link
Dan, food is good, I like food!
― dow, Friday, 13 September 2019 20:39 (four years ago) link
whoa, there's TWO duos!
https://www.discogs.com/artist/404215-Alison-Statton-Spike
https://www.discogs.com/artist/288814-Devine-Statton
― sleeve, Friday, 13 September 2019 20:40 (four years ago) link
Finally got round to listening to the Stuart Moxham / Louis Phillipe album that came out a few months ago bearing the title 'The Devil Laughs'. Ruddy hell, what a lovely record! Anyone else got it yet?
― kites aren't fun (NickB), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:44 (three years ago) link
they just announced a 40th anniversary double LP of Colossal Youth toohttps://www.dominomusic.com/releases/young-marble-giants/colossal-youth/exclusive-limited-double-lp
― sean gramophone, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:45 (three years ago) link
how the hell did I miss this Salad Days release?!?!
― sleeve, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:52 (three years ago) link
Very tender and delicate songs on this new one as you'd expect and a bit of a David Crosby vibe on some of the arrangements making it all very pastoral and dreamy. Really reminding me of Gorky's circa 'The Blue Trees' (a fine thing)
― kites aren't fun (NickB), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 14:53 (three years ago) link
thanks for the heads up, Nick! I was afraid Louis had retired from music to focus on sportscasting, so I'm pleasantly surprised that he's putting out two albums (the Moxham collab and an upcoming solo album) in 2020
― (peech) or (buht ih-moh-jee) (unregistered), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 15:44 (three years ago) link
Never got round to investigating Louis Phillipe before tbh, maybe now's the time!
― kites aren't fun (NickB), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 15:58 (three years ago) link
I'd missed that too, it sounds really good, thanks Nick.
While we're on the subject of Louis, some of you may like / may have missed this Louis version of "Don't Talk" which we put out a few years ago and which not enough people heard IMO:
https://hangoverloungerecords.bandcamp.com/track/dont-talk
― Tim, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 16:02 (three years ago) link
that's a great vocal performance, but the breathing kind of spoils it for me. song for song, Ivory Tower is still probably my favorite album of his, and Azure is the best showcase for his arrangements. I also really love this re-recording of 'Fires Rise and Die':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kxh4G37iI8
― (peech) or (buht ih-moh-jee) (unregistered), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 16:38 (three years ago) link
new madlib
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMBjoK1s3fA
― sean gramophone, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 19:24 (three years ago) link
― kites aren't fun (NickB) Wait, which album is this??
― dow, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 22:55 (three years ago) link
Love it.
― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 23:44 (three years ago) link
dow: Stuart Moxham / Louis Phillipe - 'The Devil Laughs'
― mage uluk (NickB), Wednesday, 27 January 2021 00:00 (three years ago) link