#even tuell
tagged by @justine to do the top 10 songs… I had quite a busy couple of weeks, but here is an exceedingly belated response. Listed in random order, with Discogs and listening links…
Electric Chairs, “So Many Ways” [Safari Records, 1979] (video above)
Carla dal Forno played this in a recent FACT Mix, and it blew me away. You guys really should’ve told me about this one! As I understand it, this was Jayne County’s (then Wayne County) band, but working without Jayne County just for this 45.
Rays, “Subway” [Trouble In Mind, 2018] (bandcamp)
The new LP by Oakland’s RAYS is briskly paced and incredibly catchy. A great listen, front to back, but this is the track that’s stuck in my head at the moment.
Felt, “Christopher St” [Creation, 1988] (YouTube)
One of several standouts from Felt’s Pictorial Jackson Review LP. I’ve only really delved into Felt in the last 18 months, so I’m not the guy to ask, but is this record not a bit underrated? Not that Felt can be dinged for any terrible records, but this is quite a good one. A loose “hang-out song,” if you will, this is one of those Felt tracks where Lawrence’s Lou Reed and Bob Dylan homages kick into high gear.
Naked Roommate, “Lube Boys” (bandcamp)
Amber and Andy of The World put together a pretty much perfect cassette of stripped-down, spindly New Wave of the Pressler-Morgan variety. You’re gonna want it.
Maxine Funke, “Best Kept” [Feeding Tube, 2018] (bandcamp)
What a great year Maxine Funke curated for us. “Best Kept” comes from her latest LP, Silk, out in less than two weeks. I’m still warming my hands to Funke’s home fi cassette and eternity 7″, both from earlier this year, and can hardly believe we’re about to get another half-hour or so of her conversational songwriting.
CiM, “Shift” [Delsin, 1999] (YouTube)
Such a gorgeous deep space pastoral. Busily rhythmic, but the overall impression is… drift.
JJ Ulius, “Tänder Ett Ljus” [Happiest Place, 2018] (bandcamp)
A very winning “Needles and Pins”-esque stomper from the Skiftande Enheter frontman. His recent Monokultur 7″ EP is a different beast, but that’s another one you won’t want to miss.
Total, “Tannery #1″ [Freek, 1994] (YouTube)
Zoned-out and ecstatic guitar bliss I can get lost in. This is Matthew Bower at his best, with assistance from John Godbert, later of Vibracathedral Orchestra.
Even Tuell, “Precious Cloud” [Latency, 2014] (bandcamp)
This has been out for several years, but recently enjoyed wider release digitally. A particularly lovely slice of what I’d call “pensive house,” this feels like a companion piece to Even Tuell’s 2013 collaboration with Midnightopera for Workshop.
The Mad Scene, “Paper Plane” (Homestead, 1992) (YouTube)
I’ve had Mad Scene’s A Trip Thru Monsterland album for a while, obtained because, well, The Clean. It’s only recently that I’ve given the record the attention it deserves, and I’ve fallen hard for it. Lots of good songs, though Lisa Siegel’s vocals on “Paper Plane” (this version also appeared on a 7″ a year earlier) make this one the clear standout.
