(PART 1 OF 3) Standard list making.
THE INQUIRY: Best summer records?
Part one of three features contributions from Amelia Fletcher (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap), Kilynn Lunsford (Little Claw), Quinn Brayton (Frank Alpine), author Matthew Stokoe (Cows, Empty Mile), Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple), Bill Gray (Signals, Man’s Assassination Man, ex-Mae Shi), Meg Brazill (Los Microwaves), Pierre Pauly (Parade Ground), and Christina Gubala (Complicated Dance Steps).
KYLINN LUNSFORD, musician (Little Claw)
1. NOEL AND THE RED WEDGE: Peer Pressure, 1982
> As I remain locked in a pillory among my phantasmagoric viscera, Amy begins
her morning routine which consists of firstly listening to the song “Specimen;” this
seraphic buzz causing another fixity of my brain and being, albeit encrusted with lux.
2. MARIAH: Utakata No Hibi, 1983
3. HARRY NILSSON: Nilsson Sings Newman, 1970
4. JOHN MAUS (of course): We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, 2011
5. STORM BUGS: Supplementary Benefit, 2007
AMELIA FLETCHER, musician (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap)
1. THE DIXIE CUPS: Chapel of Love, 1964
> I got married this summer (to my long-term boyfriend and co-member of Tender
Trap, Rob). It was a grand old day and one of the best parts was getting everyone to sing
this at the end of the ceremony. I love the song because it is shamelessly soppy, but without
any of the female martyrdom to love that characterizes many 60s girl group songs. Great
harmonies too.
2. STANDARD FARE: Philadelphia, 2010
3. BEAT HAPPENING: Indian Summer, 2010
4. THEOLA KILGORE: The Sound of My Man (Working on the Chain Gang), 1960
5. LE TIGRE: Hot Topic, 1999
QUINN BRAYTON, keyboardist (Frank Alpine), record collecting geek
1. TRANSPARENT ILLUSION: Still Human, 1981 (2010 reissue)
> Well done reissue of this insanely rare minimal synth punk masterpiece. At
one point in my life I would have traded you the keys to my car for an original copy of
this, but this reissue will do quite nicely. Brilliant and raw monophonic synth with live
drums and occasional off key vocals that charm and put a smile to my face. First press
of 500 is sold-out, 2nd press is available. Get it while you can!
2. J.K. & CO.: Suddenly One Summer, 1971
3. THE HUMAN BEAST: Volume One, 1970 (2008 reissue)
4. DER BLUTHARSCH: Time Is Thee Enemy!, 2003
5. V/A: The Thing From The Crypt, 1981
MATTHEW STOKOE, author (Cows, High Life, Empty Mile - Akashic Books)
1. THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: Take Five, 1959
> Such a groove. A track to play when you want to impress with hipness. Although
the whole Beat thing is a huge yawn for me, I like to imagine those short-lived outlaws
who sat around their portable recordplayers listening to the original - girls wearing
black turtlenecks and tight, mid-calf pants, guys wearing shades and tapping bongos,
puffing on a reefer that could get you three years, saying things like “hep” and “daddio”
as the 50s blew out into a world that had no place left for them.
2. T. REX: Metal Guru, 1972
3. THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS: Dumb Waiters, 1981
4. MILES DAVIS: All Blues, 1959
5. WASP: Mean Men, 1989
MAKOTO KAWABATA, musician (Acid Mothers Temple)
1. BIROUDONEKO: Uneri [CD: Velvet Cat, 2011]
> Biroudoneko is Japanese female folk singer. This is her 1st album that has just
come out from her label. Her music remains nostalgic. I feel that I have listened to them
in somewhere long time ago. This is really beautiful album, and I played with her bass duo
on three tracks. Probably it’s the best album of the year 2011 for me.
2. TADASHI GOINO GROUP: Nana Jigen Yori No Sisha (Messenger From 7th Dimension) [LP: Philips, 1979]
> Tadatoshi Goino Group is a Japanese strange psychedelic prog-rock group. They
caught many sounds from space by a radio telescope and they made “sixteen-tone” by computer.
Then they hand-made sixteen-tone instruments! Also they became successful to record a
message of an alien about 15 minutes! So they put this recording on this album! But I
could listen to only Roland synthesizers’ sounds and noises! It’s written on the inner
sleeve that Roland supported them! Anyway, I like this dubious space rock album!
3. EROTICA: The Rhythms of Love/Erotica Davis [LP: Davis Records, 1960]
> It’s a really strange record… the squeaky bed sound with voices of making love
are mixed and collaged with percussion sounds!! Sometime the sound like a train? Or
primitive music by percussion and voices? What a great minimal music… Maybe it’s not
music? But sometime the squeaky bed sound with voices of making love is much better than
bored so-called experimental music! They write on the front jacket: “An experimental
high fidelity recording featuring the sounds and rhythms of erotic love.” Haha…
4. V/A: A String of Pearls: Jewels of the 78RPM Era 1918-1951 [LP: Mississippi Records, 2009]
> It’s a really great historic recording in USA, India, Egypt, Serbia, Spain,
Jamaica, Turkey and whole world! What a great compilation it is! It makes me imagine
easily to travel whole world in early 30th century like the old film!
5. CARDABELA: Cardabela [LP: Ventadom, 1976]
> This is Occitan trad group’s recording. I really love Occitan trad music. (Do
you know AMT covered Occitan trad songs “La Novia” and “Le Le Lo”?) This is not so
special one though, so I can enjoy listening to it with doing something!
PIERRE PAULY, musician (Parade Ground)
1. SPARKS: Kimono My House, 1974
> Pure genius! From the musicians’ look to the symphonic-oriented music,
this record is full of irony and freedom. The humour is fantastic, so is the
invention… and it’s from Los Angeles!
2. WIRE: 154, 1979
3. MAGAZINE: Secondhand Daylight, 1979
4. KILLING JOKE: Night Time, 1985
5. ALICE COOPER: Killer, 1971
CHRISTINA GUBALA, label co-head (Complicated Dancesteps)
1. V/A: Studio One Lovers [Soul Jazz Records, 2005]
> A compilation that features the elegance and earnestness of what I like
to refer to as Jamaican Motown. Horace Andy and Alton Ellis drew me to it, but it was the
dulcet tracks from Carlton & His Shows and Larry & Alvin that stole my heart with
their delicacy and meditative vocal harmonies. Never was there a more perfect slab
of wax for a sultry summer evening!
2. CONSPIRACY OF OWLS: S/T [Burger Records, 2010]
3. BITCHIN’ BAJAS: Tones/Zones [Important Records, 2010]
4. LA BIG VIC: Actually [Underwater Peoples Records, 2011]
5. PUERTO RICO FLOWERS: 7 [Fan Death Records, 2011]
MEG BRAZILL, musician (Los Microwaves)
1. GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE: The Message, 1982
> “The Message” is almost an embarrassing choice because it’s so obvious. But isn’t
that what summer songs are - obvious in the way they speak to your heart and raise your
temperature while outside the concrete burns under your feet. If any song has withstood the
test of time, this is it - in the hip hop pantheon, the rock realm, and in its breakthrough
artistry. Its slow pace is a sly counterpunch to the lyrics. In the summer of 1982 in New
York, nothing came closer to the truth than “The Message.”
2. MUNGO JERRY: In the Summertime, 1970
3. ROLLING STONES: Miss You, 1978
4. FIREFOX AK (Sweden): Boom Boom Boom, 2011
5. US3: Cantaloop, 1993
BILL GRAY, musician (Signals, Man’s Assassination Man, ex-Mae Shi)
1. THIN LIZZY: Fighting, 1975
> its been really hard choosing between Fighting and Black Rose but the solo on
“wild one” fucking clenched it. It’s not even hard to play I just learned that shit in 20
mins or so though and I can’t get the tone right and a 23 y/o kid had to tell me it was a
tap but a hammer on….. I feel like shit right now.
2. CONSPIRACY OF OWLS: S/T, 2010
> from the land of robocop, the best thing I’ve heard from burger records… It’s like
bad fingers playing a drunken basketball game with the bay city rollers while brian wilson
referee’s and then outta nowhere steely dan shows up and tells you that you should quit
while your behind, cause there’s just no way your sentimental pop for pop’s sake outfit is
gonna come half this close.
3. BLACK FLAG: Live at the On Broadway 1982, 2010
> I’d feel stupid talking about this… apparently his knee was… damaged.
4. CYLOB: Mood Bells, 2001
> Digital bells being tweaked by a dude who did way more famous things then this…
glitchy meditation for people who like to get chill in a lawnmower man way.
5. VAN HALEN: Women and Children First, 1980
> I kinda hate people who like Van Halen but hesitate to say that this is the most
complete focused flowing example of the main idea. Let me ask you somethin, do you like
drinking? smoking? guitars? bass’s thutter like your havin a heart attack? confusing
signatures that seem confusingly simple? do you?
*Note from the editor: Gray for gov, 2012.
(PART 2 OF 3) SOMETIME SOON
