Planet Rotations #229

In the age of digital music, we tend to skip through albums, listening to one or two tracks - missing some of the deeper cuts that may be brilliant. We are huge fans of the album format, and love to experience the entire collection the way the artist intended. Listening to one or two songs is like randomly reading a few chapters of a book and expecting to understand the completed work. Like all music lovers, we love to share what we're listening to and discover some new things from friends.

This week, Sarah and I highlighted 12 albums that we played in full. Make sure to tune into the Spotify player at the bottom, which features a song from each album. This is an ongoing playlist that you can follow directly on Spotify. Please put your own lists in the comments below, or interact at the Life On This Planet Facebook or Twitter. 

(text version below image)

Townes Van Zandt - s/t

Steve Earle - Guitar Town

Skeeter Davis - The Essential Skeeter Davis

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow

Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel

The Byrds - Sweeheart of the Rodeo

The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace of Sin

First Aid Kit - Stay Gold

Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac

The Mekons - Honky Tonkin'

James McMurtry - Complicated Game

The Doors - Strange Days

Listen to our ongoing Spotify Planet Rotations Playlist!

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

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Planet Rotations #228

In the age of digital music, we tend to skip through albums, listening to one or two tracks - missing some of the deeper cuts that may be brilliant. We are huge fans of the album format, and love to experience the entire collection the way the artist intended. Listening to one or two songs is like randomly reading a few chapters of a book and expecting to understand the completed work. Like all music lovers, we love to share what we're listening to and discover some new things from friends.

This week, Sarah and I highlighted 6 albums that we each played in full. Make sure to tune into the Spotify player at the bottom, which features a song from each album. This is an ongoing playlist that you can follow directly on Spotify. Please put your own lists in the comments below, or interact at the Life On This Planet Facebook or Twitter. 

(text version below image)

Bret's 6

Peter Murphy - Bare-Boned and Sacred

Brett Anderson - Slow Attack

The Chameleons - The Fan and the Bellows

Tones on Tail - Everything!

Love and Rockets - s/t

Roxy Music - Stranded

Sarah's 6

Depeche Mode - Spirit

Tennis - Yours Conditionally

Real Estate - In Mind

Moon Duo - Occult Architecture Vol. 1

The Prids - ...Until the World is Beautiful

Psychic Ills - Inner Journey Out

Listen to our ongoing Spotify Planet Rotations Playlist!

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

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Saturday Night Music Club #39: Spring Equinox Edition

It's been a while, but we are back with a new edition of Saturday Night Music Club. The SNMC started up as an idea I had years ago - to recapture the feeling of being a kid and getting together with your friends in the basement to listen and discuss music. Over the last few years we've re-capped our monthly get-togethers with a video feature. For the time being, we are eliminating the video aspect of the SNMC and will be doing a blog feature, where each member of the club will briefly discuss their record. A track from each album (when available) will be collected into an ongoing SNMC Spotify playlist for you to listen in and enjoy the tunes as well.

This month's theme: We are celebrating the coming of Spring by bringing a record that has a flower on the cover. Let's take a look at what everyone brought...

Shelleyan Orphan - Century Flower

Rough Trade / Columbia | 1989

Favorite Song:

Century Flower

Why did you add this record to your collection:

Shortly after it came out, a friend of mine played me the title track and I was blown away. Over the years it's become one of my favorite albums

Describe this album in one sentence:

Daydreamy, organic orchestral-layered art pop with exquisite vocals (from the late Caroline Crawley)

Literature - Arab Spring

Square of Opposition / Slumberland | 2011

Favorite Song:

Lily

Why did you add this record to your collection:

I'm a fan of most Slumberland bands. I sampled one track and had to order this, as it fits into my collection so well

Describe this album in one sentence:

Jangly pop sunshine & lollipops

Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

Slumberland | 2008

Favorite Song:

Crystal Stilts

Why did you add this record to your collection:

The in-store play copy at Urban Outfitters grew on me - had to add it

Describe this album in one sentence:

A beautiful, dark psych dream

The Prids - Do I Look Like I'm in Love?

Self-released | 2017

Favorite Song:

Lie Here

Why did you add this record to your collection:

Been a fan since 2003, and have seen them play in the last 3 cities I've lived in - KC, LA & PHX - and it's always been heavily worth it. First full-length from the band since 2010, and though the wait was long, I'm pretty sure this will rank righ in my year end Best of 2017 list

Describe this album in one sentence:

Dark vibrancy that floats between male & female vocals that rides you back to the best parts of 80s & 90s college radio

Eden's Children - s/t

ABC | 1968

Favorite Song:

Goodbye Girl

Why did you add this record to your collection:

I saw it in the record store and thought the cover looked cool. A month later the song 'Goodbye Girl' came up on my Spotify Discover, and I rushed out to the record store and bought it

Describe this album in one sentence:

60s Bean Town fuzzy garagey goodness

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

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Planet Rotations #227: Irish Edition

In the age of digital music, we tend to skip through albums, listening to one or two tracks - missing some of the deeper cuts that may be brilliant. We are huge fans of the album format, and love to experience the entire collection the way the artist intended. Listening to one or two songs is like randomly reading a few chapters of a book and expecting to understand the completed work. Like all music lovers, we love to share what we're listening to and discover some new things from friends.

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Sarah and I focused our listening this week on artists from Ireland. We each highlighted 6 albums that we played in full. Make sure to tune into the Spotify player at the bottom, which features a song from each album. This is an ongoing playlist that you can follow directly on Spotify. Please put your own lists in the comments below, or interact at the Life On This Planet Facebook or Twitter. 

(text version below image)

Bret's 6

Virgin Prunes - ...If I Die, I Die

JJ72 - s/t

Cactus World News - Urban Beaches

Thin Lizzy - Black Rose: A Rock Legend

The Dubliners - A Drop of the Hard Stuff

The Cranberries - Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can't We?

Sarah's 6

Stiff Little Fingers - All the Best

The Undertones - s/t

Ash - 1977

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Whipping Boy - Heartworm

The Divine Comedy - A Secret History: The Best of The Divine Comedy

Listen to our ongoing Spotify Planet Rotations Playlist!

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

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Planet Rotations #226: Side Projects / Solo Albums / Offshoot Bands

In the age of digital music, we tend to skip through albums, listening to one or two tracks - missing some of the deeper cuts that may be brilliant. We are huge fans of the album format, and love to experience the entire collection the way the artist intended. Listening to one or two songs is like randomly reading a few chapters of a book and expecting to understand the completed work. Like all music lovers, we love to share what we're listening to and discover some new things from friends.

On the second Friday of each month, Sarah and I select a theme for our weekly playlist. For March's theme, we listened to solo albums, side projects and offshoot bands of various artists that we enjoy. We each featured 12 albums that we played in full - the first batch are mine, the second are hers. You'll also notice a Spotify player at the bottom, which features a song from each album. This is an ongoing playlist that you can follow directly on Spotify. Please put your own lists in the comments below, or interact at the Life On This Planet Facebook or Twitter. 

(text version below image)

Bret's 12

Babacar - s/t

(side project from Caroline Crawley - formed after Shelleyan Orphan went on hiatus shortly after the release of Humroot in 1992)

Justin Sullivan - Navigating by the Stars

(solo album from New Model Army frontman)

Porno for Pyros - s/t

(offshoot band from Perry Farrell & Stephen Perkins - formed in 1992 after the initial breakup of Jane's Addiction)

Lightships - Electric Cables

(solo album from Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub)

Love Spit Love - s/t

(offshoot band from Richard Butler - formed when The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1992)

Lou Reed & John Cale - Songs for Drella

(collaborative solo album from Lou Reed & John Cale of The Velvet Underground)

Retribution Gospel Choir - 2

(side project from Alan Sparhawk of Low)

Gas Giants - From Beyond the Back Burner

(offshoot band from Robin Wilson & Phillip Rhodes - formed in 1997 after the short-lived break up of the Gin Blossoms)

Mike Ness - Under the Influences

(second solo album from Social Distortion frontman)

Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space

(offshoot band from Jason Pierce - formed in 1990 after the breakup of Spaceman 3)

Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball

(18th solo album from the one-time member of Gram Parson's Fallen Angels band)

Peter Hook & The Light - 1102/2011 EP

(offshoot band from Peter Hook of Joy Division & New Order; features Rowetta of Happy Mondays on vocals)

Sarah's 12

Bad Lieutenant - Never Cry Another Tear

(side project from Bernard Sumner - formed in 2007 after the 2nd breakup of New Order)

Haunted Hearts - Initiation

(side project from Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls & her husband Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles)

Fever Ray - s/t

(debut solo album from Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife)

The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement

(side project from Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys & Miles Kane of The Rascals)

Recoil - Recoil: Selected

(side project of Alan Wilder - formerly of Depeche Mode)

Bernard Butler - People Move On

(debut solo album from co-songwriter / original guitarist of Suede)

Sister Vanilla - Little Pop Rock

(side project from William & Jim Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain with their sister Linda)

Black Submarine - New Shores

(side project from Nick McCabe & Simon Jones of The Verve, with Davide Rossi of Goldfrapp - formed shortly before the 2009 breakup of The Verve)

SPC ECO - Under My Skin EP

(offshoot band from Dean Garcia with his daughter Rose Berlin - formed after the breakup of Curve)

Jenny Lewis - The Voyager

(third solo album from Jenny Lewis - formerly of Rilo Kiley)

Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

(side project from Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade)

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your Back

(debut solo album from the singer of Metric)

Listen to our ongoing Spotify Planet Rotations Playlist!

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

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Epic Songs: The Best Songs Over 7 Minutes Long - Part 5 of 5

Back in 2011, I published a 4-part series of The Best Songs Over 7 Minutes Long. That series has proved to be the most popular post on the blog. Six years have passed and it's high time that we present you with a new installment - adding 24 more songs to the list! We've also collected all of the songs from all of the parts to a massive Spotify playlist (check it out at the bottom of this page). If you happened to miss Parts 1-4, you can start at the beginning here.

Arcade Fire - Reflektor (7:34)
From the album Reflektor (2013)
Guest appearance by David Bowie; Co-produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem

Belle & Sebastian - Play for Today (7:33)
From the album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance (2015)
Duet with Dee Dee Penny aka Kristin Welchez of Dum Dum Girls & Kristin Kontrol

Bill Fay - Cosmic Concerto (Life is People) (7:56)
From the album Life is People (2012)
"In the space of a human face, there's infinite variation. It's a cosmic concerto and it stirs my soul. Like my old Dad said, life is people."

Blur - Tender (7:40)
From the album 13 (1999)
Produced by William Orbit, 13 was a more experimental album, unlike its predecessors. Emotional times brought out the best in Blur. Backing vocal assistance was provided by the London Community Gospel Choir

Dead Can Dance - Children of the Sun (7:33)
From the album Anastasis (2012)
DCD returned with the stunning Anastasis - after a 16-year recording gap

Erasure - Rock Me Gently (10:01)
From the album Erasure (1995)
Accompanied by the popular London Community Gospel Choir; also features a free-form interlude by Diamanda Galas

Kraftwerk - Neon Lights (9:03)
From the album The Man-Machine (1978)
A condensed version (cut down by nearly one-third) was released as a single

Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle - Gustavo (7:11)
From the album Perils from the Sea (2013)
Emotional storytelling on this collaboration between Kozelek of Red House Painters / Sun Kil Moon and LaValle of The Album Leaf

Muse - Citizen Erased (7:21)
From the album Origin of Symmetry (2001)
Always a fan favorite - must be the powerful drop A tuning

New Order - 5 8 6 (7:31)
From the album Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
Starting off as an experimental instrumental used at the opening of the Hacienda club in Manchester, the title refers to the song Ecstacy's 5-bar, 8-bar, 6-bar structure; contains bits we;hear more of later in 'Blue Monday'

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) - Metroland (7:33)
From the album English Electric (2013)
33 years after their debut, OMD released this album which ranks among their best work

Pet Shop Boys - Always on My Mind / In My House (9:05)
From the album Introspective (1988)
A commemorative performance on a UK Elvis TV special lead to the recording of this single, which immediately topped the charts in the US & UK

Peter Murphy - The Sound of Water (8:45)
From the compilation Remixes from Lion (2015)
How can a leftover song from the sessions of 2014's Lion rival the best work in PM's catalog? Goosebumps

Preoccupations - Memory (11:27)
From the album Preoccupations (2016)
Memory has three distinct movements - the middle section features vocals by Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade / Handsome Furs / Operators

Psychic TV - I.C. Water (8:43)
From the album Towards Thee Infinite Beat (1990)
A tribute to Ian Curtis (I.C.) of Joy Division who was a friend of PTV's Genesis P-Orridge; the voice in the beginning is a recording of Curtis

Pulp - Seductive Barry (8:31)
From the album This is Hardcore (1998)
Additional sensual vocals provided by Neneh Cherry

R.E.M. - Leave (7:18)
From the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
That siren...

Radiohead - Supercollider (7:02)
Released as Supercollider / The Butcher single (2011)
Extras from The King of Limbs sessions released for Record Store Day

Ride - OX4 (7:07)
From the album Going Blank Again (1992)
OX4 is the postal code for Oxford (England), where the band is from

Sigur Ros - Untitled 4 (7:33)
From the album ( ) (2002)
All songs on this record were left untitled, but this one is known as 'The Nothing Song'

Strand of Oaks - JM (7:23)
From the album HEAL (2014)
An intense musical eulogy for the late Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia & Magnolia Electric Co.

Talk Talk - Time it's Time (8:14)
From the album The Colour of Spring (1986)
At the 5:34 mark, singer Mark Hollis begins a short, heartbreaking musical motif on the melodica that continues through the song's faded-out conclusion. I wait for that part every time

The Verve - She's a Superstar (8:56)
Released as She's a Superstar / Feel single (1992)
A beautiful, cosmic dreamscape recorded in a swimming pool

The Wake - Melancholy Man (7:27)
From the album Here Comes Everybody (1985)
Released on the legendary Manchester label, Factory. Bobby Gillespie was an early member of The Wake before heading off to The Jesus & Mary Chain and later, Primal Scream

- Compiled by Bret & Sarah

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

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Planet Rotations #225

In the age of digital music, we tend to skip through albums, listening to one or two tracks - missing some of the deeper cuts that may be brilliant. We are huge fans of the album format, and love to experience the entire collection the way the artist intended. Listening to one or two songs is like randomly reading a few chapters of a book and expecting to understand the completed work. Like all music lovers, we love to share what we're listening to and discover some new things from friends.

This week Sarah and I both chose to highlight 6 albums each that we played in full - the first 2 rows are mine, the second 2 are hers. You'll also notice a Spotify player at the bottom, which features a song from each album. This is an ongoing playlist that you can follow directly on Spotify. Please put your own lists in the comments below, or interact at the Life On This Planet Facebook or Twitter. 

(text version below image)

Bret's 6

Ryan Adams - Prisoner

Strand of Oaks - Hard Love

Cocteau Twins - Victorialand

For Against - December

Modern English - Take Me to the Trees

The Toasters - Thrill Me Up

Sarah's 6

The Bats - The Deep Set

The Connells - Stone Cold Yesterday: Best of The Connells

Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now

No Joy - Creep EP

Melody's Echo Chamber - s/t

Erasure - Nightbird

Listen to our ongoing Spotify Planet Rotations Playlist!

If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

Follow us on Facebook / Twitter / YouTube