Lonely Obsessions, Lost Causes... stuff you like and no one else does.

For me, this is Azeda Booth. Canadian indietronica band, with supremely fucked-up lyrics. I've been absolutely obsessed with them since 2008, and no one else seems to care. But the really weird thing is, several people do, it just never catches on. Three of the members left the band after the debut In Flesh Tones to form Women. Everyone loved Women, but nobody checked out their older band. Then Braids released their debut Native Speaker, which many people liked as well. And they seemed to have listened to a lot of Azeda Booth, and were from the same town, but nobody made the connection. Then Baths started talking a lot about Azeda Booth, because Braids had apparantly played it for him. He says that it's the most important influence on his new album Obsidian, which gets rave reviews just now. But I just checked all the reviews on metacritic with ctrl-f (yup, I'm obsessed), and not a single one mentions Azeda Booth. It's just a lost cause...

What are your lost causes?

sure we've had a similar thread along these lines, as i suspect my answer then was the same as it will be now : grand mal.

over the last few years bill whitten, along with various others that happen to be passing through his living room at the time, has released a string of low budget/low profile releases that despite mining the same core elements that he has always done (70s singer/songwriter + mott + hunky dory era bowie etc), never fails to give me that music warm glow buzz that so few others manage to.

sure we've had a similar thread along these lines

I suspected as much. But I had absolutely no idea how to find it. If someone linked to it, I could copy/paste my sob-story, and this thread could die in piece.

The Lavender Hill Mob - Late '70s Quebec pop rock band. Tracks like "The Loneliest Man on the Moon" from their first (I think?) album.

http://www.reverbnation.com/lavenderhillmob

Jennifer Gentle - 00's Italian Syd Barrett acolytes who released two great albums on sub pop. Couple of small ILM threads, but they are largely uncared for.

U2

Round these parts, Beulah, Fleet Foxes and the Ocean Blue.

i am very into jennifer gentle. i wonder about the lack of love for the kingsbury manx

This is an ILM vs. IRL issue for me. IRL, I don't know anyone who likes the Plugz or Borbetomagus; here, though, both bands get their due from at least one or two other people. Yay, Internet!

I know one Borbetomagus fan IRL because he introduced them to me back in 1992.

This band called the Shanks from Cork who had two albums, one of which I've always been a little obsessed with called "Brang." Never met anyone who's so much as heard of them, and there's barely anything on the internet that doesn't come from me. A few tracks on youtube, finally, but not their best one. I kind of wonder how the hell their CD made it to the US and into my arms. Just a random record store find...

if you don't like borbetomagus, well, then the heck with you.

and the IRL/internet thing is totally OTM. For years I didn't know anyone who shared my love of pre-war american string bands, fiddle n banjo records, bluegrass etc. But there are lots of them on the internet, and I've even met a few in the real world too.

see also:
Cape Breton fiddle music

Love Borbetomagus. Third loudest show I ever saw -- loudest was the Who (in 1989, of all things), second loudest was AC/DC.

yeah, wtf happened to jennifer gentle? I think they were a few years ahead of their time.

Marco Fasolo played on and produced this covers collection. In this recent interview he mentions he's writing tracks for a new album.

I'll have to think a bit more about my lonely obsessions.

Growing up in Birmingham AL. in the '80s, one of the few bright lights was an amazing jangle-pop band the Primitons. Recorded 2 records and split-the few that have noticed them tend to agree.
http://www.furia.com/page.cgi?type=twas&id=twas0008#entry4

I don't know anyone who likes the Plugz

The old LA punk band? Used to play them on my college radio show ages ago.

Chitlin Circuit Double-entendre -filled Soul 2004 (and onward) Theodis Ealey's "Stand Up In It" is a song of the year

Only Xchuckx and me and possibly James Redd here

sure we've had a similar thread along these lines

I suspected as much. But I had absolutely no idea how to find it. If someone linked to it, I could copy/paste my sob-story, and this thread could die in piece.
― Frederik B, Thursday, May 30, 2013 5:50 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's along the lines of this, methinks...

Albums With A Cult Following -- You and Only You

I saw Jennifer Gentle in Toronto with an ilxor in 2005 and liked them, if that helps? Tbh, I didn't know they were Italian.

I remember tipping RPM Quigley for greatness, in my journalism days.

This is an ILM vs. IRL issue for me. IRL, I don't know anyone who likes the Plugz or Borbetomagus; here, though, both bands get their due from at least one or two other people. Yay, Internet!

― 誤訳侮辱, Thursday, May 30, 2013 8:05 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Just this past week I've had IRL conversations with two different people who don't know each other about Borbetomagus.

My entry into this category, I'm the only person I know obsessed with the two records Jack Brewer (of Saccharine Trust fame) made with SST fake-jazzbos Bazooka in the early 90s. Jack doing his thing over improvised accompaniment. Love 'em. Utterly and completely.

Greek film music. Giannis Markopoulos, Theodarakis, Manos Hadjikadis etc etc
especially love the stuff with layered zithers, bazoukis etc that sounds like it was a major influence on Savage Republic wish it was easier to get hold of.
Keep hoping taht it will become the next thing to be discovered and reissued by somebody like Sublime Frequencies who reissued the Omar Khorshid compi. I discovered him through the same source, the miscellaneous section of the 2nd hand record shop I used to frequent in the mid-late 80s & early 90s. Got a lotof great stuff through that place.

Also on a non musical front the appearance of nature being allowed to do its own thing on the side of the road locally. To me I don't thinkthe place could look as good if the council were actually trying to maintain places they have let run wild. Ecosystems have developed on what would have been overly orderly grasspatches and flowerbeds.

Blake Mills. No one's heard of him, no one wants to give him a try.
Guitar virtuoso, producer, session player, song writer etc.
His debut "Break Mirrors" is great imo.

lol i've heard of blake mills, he produced one of the sky ferreira songs i like ("sad dream")

60s West Coast jazz records that feature the guitar work of Jim Hall

I mean there are probably other jazz guitar dudes who share that obsession, and maybe scott seward would be into it, but otherwise I don't hear much about that

I like his playing on those Sonny Rollins records, but never checked him out beyond that. Probably should do something about that.

jim hall is a pretty good indicator that a record is going to be good (at least in 50s/60s) -- bill evans duet record, various hampton hawes, ron carter duet record, jimmy giuffre trio stuff. all pretty wonderful.

hell yes

but these things are all relative -- talk about any such thing on ILM and you're bound to find a few people who agree with you, but in the world out there if I talked about this interest with most people it'd be like saying I collect pictures of corpses

Yeah, I think this aspect has been discussed on several threads, but I have a couple friends I could talk, say, Afrobeat with, and a different one who enjoys 80s postpunk, but by and large my musical interests are not even remotely discussable with most of the people I meet in everyday life.

yeah, like I actually have several young officemates who at least listen to a decent amount of music -- one of them actually listens to WFMU, one of them is kind of electronic-oriented, and one of them is sort of fratty and likes jammy stuff but doesn't have entirely bad taste. This is by far the best I've ever done in terms of co-workers I can share musical interests with.

I can't think of anything I listen to that absolutely no one on ILM will also rep for

Maybe the Golden s/t record? That's one of my absolute favorite records ever and I don't remember seeing it come up here, and I started a thread on it once and got no responses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhKE2Gly7Uc

Acacia were great.

x-post

Not a lonely obsession but I remember being thrilled when a co-worker wanted to talk about Royksopp with me.

Have only ever met one other person irl who liked Eliane Radigue

The Andrews Sisters

http://www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/CDSDL343.jpg

yet to convert anyone.

"I don't know anyone who likes the Plugz or Borbetomagus"

i probably know at LEAST a hundred people where i live who love Borbetomagus. welcome to western massachusetts!

i like jim hall!

i could go through the rack of records right in front of me and pick out a hundred obsessions that hardly anyone is obsessed with if you want me to. i'm not doing anything.

THIS is a real fave of mine and i don't know anyone else who likes it. its just a hard one to find. been out of print since it came out i think.

http://p3.storage.canalblog.com/31/69/500408/63149438.jpg

anyway this album just wrecked me for so long. two post thread!

This Is The Thread Where I Tell The World How Much I Love *Karen Alexander* And Her Album *Voyager*.

I am apparently the only person on ILM who likes

Shook Twins C/D and new 2011 album "Time To Swim"

But there are lotsa people around here who like them IRL, kind of the inverse of the thread.

I have repped for United Bible Studies a bunch here but still feel like I am maybe the only ilxor who actually owns anything by them (I know Ned and Elvis liked them at Terrastock 08)

I think I have a United Bible Studies cdr.
Which reminds me of a cd from that same era that I got a review copy of: "Ways of Sleepers, Ways of Wakers" by Number None. I listened to it the other day and still liked it.

I have several UBS albums.

My lost causes...

The Lovetones (with occasional Drop City talk) C/D S/D etc. etc.
RFI: The Prisoners/Prime Movers etc.

Hi dere I like the Plugz

Me too. Plus Golden (and Extra Golden, the offshoot)

I have several UBS albums.

<3

i like jim hall!

― scott seward, Thursday, June 6, 2013 9:23 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I knew you would!

Do you like Billy Bauer?

and yeah I've never even heard of let alone heard that lee schaefer album, looks great. I mean, I would listen to Jim Hall accompany the tuba player from a middle school marching band.

oh whoa, it's on spotify

I downloaded one United Bible Studies album off emusic, good record whatever it was called. Tell me their best album sleeve, and I will hunt that sucker down.

Oh, the one I have is 'The Shore That Fears The Sea'

you should try some johnny smith records sometime. don't think people listen to him too much anymore.

http://www.piarecords.com/Pictures/johnnysmith_moonlightinvermont_lp.JPG

http://highfidelityla.com/covers/big/R-3844372-1346617266-3776.jpeg

x-post

the world of forgotten great/cool jazz records kinda endless. i guess all forgotten worlds are pretty endless.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VFtvqrZ6e8I/Sf3GPHDZ6iI/AAAAAAAADBo/OL5mtuk_ZME/s400/carmel_drum_us_fr.jpg

yeah cool jazz is vast, and it was very much an ignored side of jazz when I was in 'jazz school' (although if you study guitar Jim Hall is definitely part of the pantheon). I happened to see Jazz on a Summer's Day when I was in high school though and was captivated by the Jimmy Giuffre (feat Jim Hall), Gerry Mulligan (the quartet with Art Farmer, Dave Bailey and Bill Crow) and Chico Hamilton (feat a great performance from little known guitarist Dennis Budmir) performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH0bG_OYdec

i will always keep exactly one Carmel album in the house forever for the song "I'm Not Afraid Of You". one of my fave 80's songs.

I downloaded one United Bible Studies album off emusic, good record whatever it was called. Tell me their best album sleeve, and I will hunt that sucker down.

― dschinghis kraan (NickB)

Shore That fears The Sea is a good one, they have a ton of stuff on their Bandcamp page now. I'd recommend the other regular non-collector scum CD 'The Jonah", and also "I Am Providence" which was LP-only but is on Bandcamp.

Also, Huntly Town is a perfect EP, as is the (not on the page) Northern Lights & Northern Dark EP - both are 3" CDs.

http://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/