Next Listening Club?

Now that the R.E.M. listening club’s entering it’s end times, I thought I’d see who’s up for starting another (happy to wait for the R.E.M. thread to finish before kicking this one off, mind). I’ve recently got hold of the complete works of the two bands below and feel they’re ripe for a good old hard listen, fnarr fnarr etc.

So, how’s about either :

  • Yo La Tengo
  • Pet Shop Boys

0 voters

Beginning to look a bit like a landslide - I’ll let the poll run until the end of tonight and we’ll go with whoever (itstotallygoingtobeyolatengoisn’tit) is leading at that point.

Always enjoyed the Pet Shop Boys singles and keep meaning to get round to their back catalogue. Although YLT are my favourite band and whilst I know they’re albums well, this opportunity is a rare indulgence. TORN.

1 Like

Aye, that was my thinking with putting up Pet Shop Boys as an option. Quite familiar with the singles and the occasional album tracks, but haven’t ever investigated further. I suspect we’re probably not alone in that.

3 Likes

Would be very in favour of a Bowie and/or a Prince listening club too at some point.

3 Likes

I actually just did a whole YLT discography run. It’s a testament to how consistently ace they are that another one straight after still feels like a treat.

I love the Yo La Tengo albums I know, whilst having never got around to about half of them, so I’m very much on board for that.

How about a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds listening club someday too? 30 years of constant brilliance and evolution, should be good for this format.

4 Likes

That’s a really good shout. Might keep this thread open once the vote closes and use it to keep a wish-list of future listening clubs that we can dip in to in future.

YES!

3 Likes

Why not throw it open instead of limiting to two groups anyway?

Absolutely on for doing more of these. Going through 30 years of albums takes a long time though. The REM one’s been going on since October & there’s still another few weeks before finishing.
Might be worth doing a shorter discography before going through a YLT or Nick Cave sized back catalog.
Few suggestions on that basis:
Deerhunter
Talk Talk
Dirty Three

1 Like

Because I quite fancied doing a listening club on either Yo La Tengo or Pet Shop Boys, to be honest :smiley:

No reason why we can’t have other listening clubs going on at the same time, it’s not like I’m not going to send the boys round. Just thought having a list of wants might be a good idea.

1 Like

Haha no thats okay.
The thought of either YLT or PSB coming around to beat me up is very funny though.
I was thinking maybe some less well known but well regarded. Go Betweens or The Feelies.
Maybe not even stick to one band, maybe a label or theme.
Like, Our Bands could be your life equivalent for Canada, Scotland etc
Lots of options

2 Likes

You say that, but careful - those Casios weigh a fucking ton.

:laughing:

Yeah, I like the sound of an Our Bands style listening club. Right, definitely getting a list together now.

1 Like

Theres a new book/cd combo out that tries to kind of do it for Scottish bands so something like that. A canadian one would be very good I reckon and most of that stuff is unknown over here.

Depends how in depth and far back you want to go and the stature of artists.
Do we include Leonard Cohen, Buffy St Marie, Neil Young, The Band?

I’d be happy for stuff like:
Mary Margaret O’Hara, The Tragically Hip, Plumtree, Sloan, New Pornographers, Hayden up to the early 2000s explosion of bands like Wolf Parade, Metric, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, The Besnard Lakes, Great Lake Swimmers, The Dears, Feist, Japandroids, Caibou, Owen Pallet, The Acorn, Woodpigeon etc

Yeah, I’m up for more once the R.E.M. discography has run its course. It was mentioned in the thread a little while back with Low, Tom Waits & Bjork as potential suggestions.

I’d be good with YLT too, less so maybe Pet Shop Boys who I can only ever endure in small doses.

I would like to hear all The Fall records at some point, but I know from the R.E.M. thread how you get quite submersed in the listening club albums. I’m not sure that listening to that much M.E.S. consistently for so long can be good for anyone’s mental wellbeing…

2 Likes