The Left Banke | The Decibel Tolls

Tag Archive for 'the left banke'

Massive Spring Mix Part Two

Published

on March 31, 2009

. Comments

ssm4 Massive Spring Mix Part Two

Last week, I had part one of the 26-song, seasonally-inspired, massive clusterfuck mix. Guess fucking what! This is part dos, just in time to send March off like a lion (or a lamb, depending on where you are I suppose). Spring rules, and I want you to have the jams I’m cranking in my car with the windows down and rims still spinnin’. Below are 15 more songs that are one million times better than the new Phoenix or St. Vincent or Lykke Li albums (or whatever the other blogs are poppin’ boners for). Fuck that shit. String Band, Meadow, Growing, Yoko, the Banke, Lilys, some Ghost Box, some insane old and obscure psych… I even put ol’ Ginger and Eric on here. I mean, Jesus, I wish someone had made me a mix like this.

No annotations just time. Just enjoy the jams. As always, if you think these shits is tight, support the artist and grip their album(s).

As a visual aside, I took some photos yesterday evening of the beautiful seasonal unfurling in the Old Louisville neighborhood. For our readers in the area, you should grab this mix (as well as the samples from the new Akron/Family and Lotus Plaza albums), load the tracks onto your iPod, iPhone, iCranial RFID chip, pipe ‘em through some big headphones (not shitty earbuds), and take a stroll down South 2nd Street between Magnolia and Lee Streets for a most transcendental time. Nature owns.

spring1 Massive Spring Mix Part Two
spring2 Massive Spring Mix Part Two
spring3 Massive Spring Mix Part Two
spring4 Massive Spring Mix Part Two

MP3 :::
The Incredible String Band – Koeeadi There
Penny Arkade – Woodstock Fireplace
Tower Recordings – Other Kinds Run
Belbury Poly – Scarlet Ceremony
Dungen – Familj
Dead Meadow – Stacy’s Song
Cream – Passing the Time
Growing – Wrong Ride
Margo Guryan – Sun
High Places – Namer
The Left Banke – Desiree
The Free Design – Now is the Time
Lilys – FBI and Their Toronto Transmitters
Sun City Girls – The Flower
Yoko Ono – Mind Holes

Massive Spring Mix Part One

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on March 23, 2009

in Super Swingin' Mix

. Comments

ssm4 Massive Spring Mix Part One

There’s no real need for an introduction. Spring is here finally, and it rules. West coasters may not be privy to this, but on the east coast, we have this thing called February which really sucks the life out of you. With these new mild conditions and sunshine, I had the energy to pull together a rather massive springtime collection of music – sunny folk and psychedelia (with annotations!) that evokes the oft conjured imagery of the season that I won’t waste time reiterating here. This gangsta-ass mix is so massive, as a matter of fact, that it will be be broken up into two parts. I wish someone made me a mix this monumentally ballin’, but unfortunately I’m probably the only one dope enough to bring this to you.

As always, please support the artists if’n you take a likin’ to any of these torch ballads. Salad rules, as well.

bb_spmf Massive Spring Mix Part One

MP3 :::
Margo Guryan – Come to Me Slowly
You can find this gem on the collection 25 Demos

The Free Design – Bubbles
Everything is small potatahs up against the mighty FD, trick

Mia Dio Todd – My Room is White
Remixed by Dungen for her collaboration compilation La Ninja (ZOMG NINJAZ!!1!)

The Left Banke – Ivy Ivy
Technically, this is a Montage song, but since both groups have Michael Brown at the helm, it matters not. Good gravy either way.

Fairport Convention – The Deserter
Okay, so the subject matter of this one, as with many Fairport numbers, is not as pleasant as spring tends to be (a narrative of being ratted out on and meeting your executioner), but Sandy Denny makes everything gorgeous.

The Incredible String Band – There is a Green Crown
Eight big minutes of sitars and freak-folk before anyone knew what freak-folk was. You can find this one on The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter.

Broadcast – Look Outside
Considering their respectable following, why… in the fuck… is The Noise Made By People not available in the United States? Warp… dudes, what gives?

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Smile Heavy
Yeah… why does the sun go down? Rotation – fuck that shit. Find this on their 2004 effort Start a People.

Pia Fraus – Springsister
With the word “spring” in the title, this was an obvious choice. What I lack in subtlety, I make up for in honesty.

Mahogany – Chance
Excellent neo-gaze band from the early ’00s

Koushik – Be With
You would think this might be on Sundazed. But it’s not – it’s on Stones Throw.

Tower Recordings – Other Kinds Run
Matt Valentine, PG Six, and other rad dudes on acid freak the fuck out for three minutes.

The Left Banke – “Bartenders and Their Wives” and “Desiree”

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 29, 2008

in MP3

. Comments

The world is not just, as oft demonstrated. Music this flawless, gorgeous, and sweeping should be accessible to everyone. Alas, this is not the case. The Left Banke has been defunct since 1967, and since they were never able to cultivate much of a substantial fan base while they were active, not much has been done to resurrect their baroque, complex psych pop that’s been referred to as the American response to the Zombies.

The Left Banke folded after chief song-slinger Michael Brown bounced to form Montage, partly due to the ever present “creative differences,” but primarily because of the Left Banke’s baffling inability to receive much recognition. And as Fortuna is a bitch, Montage didn’t take off either. Though “Walk Away Renee” gained some national attention in ‘67, the group’s small but fervent following was restricted to record store dorks, music majors, and serious longhairs. In 1994, Polygram released a retrospective collection There’s Gonna Be a Storm, featuring pretty much everything they ever recorded. Of course, that disc is now conveniently out of print (being a rare psych rock fan is a pain in the ass sometimes). If you feel like shelling out for a CD copy (not even vinyl) of questionable condition, there’s a few on eBay. Luckily, MP3 blogs like this one are here to correct these wrongs, bringing you the finest in stereophonic sound.

LeftBanke The Left Banke - Bartenders and Their Wives and Desiree

“Desiree” is aerodynamic. The bombastic chorus is beautiful but destructive, like the Alaskan Black Bear or Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill. Proceed with caution. “Desiree” is technically a Left Banke song, written by Brown and banged out by the rest of the band. However, it didn’t see the light of day until Montage’s eponymous record dropped in 1970, and later on the Storm compilation. Brown collects his alimony, for sure. You may notice that Brown’s arrangements sound very reminiscent of Caribou. Well, Caribou’s Andorra album, for all intents and purposes, is basically a fine reinterpretation of the Left Banke – a fair assessment considering that Andorra also features an expansive canticle titled “Desiree.” I can only assume this is an obvious nod to Brown and Company.

“Bartenders and Their Wives” is some Tolkien shit. I can hear Spanish guitar, clean distortion electric guitar, harpsicord, and autoharp. What all do you hear? Again, nothing but epic vocal harmonies, thick textures, highly mobile bass melodies, delicate composition, and a semi-bucolic musical milieu. Majestic and tectonic.

If you don’t know what’s up, and you want to know what’s up, the Left Banke is what’s up. And sweet sassy molassey, Amazon (who I’ve had always had good experiences with) has the Storm compilation available for download on the cheap. Yeah yeah, it’s not the same thing as a physical copy, but unless someone gets all ambitious and starts reprinting this disc (I’m looking at you, Light in the Attic) or releases a new collection of the Left Banke’s singles and 45s, this is the best, most affordable solution for your baroque psychedelic needs.

MP3 :::
The Left Banke – Bartenders and Their Wives
The Left Banke – Desiree