The N&G Listening Club V1 - Archive only

I've been a Triple J listener my whole life, and Ball Park Music's career so far has pretty much coincided with the high points of my listening habits so I know this album well. Perhaps a little too well actually, there's plenty of great tracks on here that Triple J absolutely burned to the ground, especially Literally Baby and Sad Rude Future Dude which feel like they should be focal points of the tracklist but now for me are a bit worn out. Still great songs though. I'll definitely take your suggestion of revisiting each album through the week, I'm looking forward to GOOD MOOD on Friday.
 
I'm liking this alright so far. The songs are kind of blending together for me tho. Admittedly this brand of indie rock has never been my exact cup of tea but I can appreciate it. I think if I listen to this again I'll put the lyrics up because the bits of lyricism I'm picking up on are the most ear catching thing for me and I think it'll give me a better feel for the album. The standouts right now are "Literally Baby" and "Alligator"
 
Ball Park Music is pleasant enough. Don’t know that I’m gonna go down the discography Rabbit Hole, but I’m not gonna change the radio station if they come on. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to give it a dedicated listen before we get to the next record.
 
gaporter said:
I'm liking this alright so far. The songs are kind of blending together for me tho.
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Lee Newman said:
Ball Park Music is pleasant enough.
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This is how I feel on my first listen. I didn't dislike it but none of it really stood out to me. I know I liked the middle songs the best. The lead singer reminds me of somebody else but I don't know who. Pretty good overall.
 
Got a proper second listen today and it really opened up for me. First go round felt very generic and samey. I still think some of the lyrics are a little cheesy. Also, while the first track is kind of a production polished banger it sets up a completely différent album. I think this one gets its’ stride in the last third. It’s good enough to listen to again, for sure.
 
I've enjoyed checking out Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs. IMO some of this reminds me of 21 pilots...others remind me of Local Natives...but its original stuff. Stand out tracks are All I Want is You, It's Nice to Be Alive and Birds Down Basements... The Song Rich People are Stupid is crazy catchy...but I don't agree with that statement and don't like having it stuck in my head...so I tend to skip that one. I've listened to this a few times this week and have liked it more each listen. Thanks for the pick....Adding that Alligator is a great song too.
 
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He’s getting up and going to work every day as a wage slave while singing rich people are stupid. It’s not exactly some kind of dig on the rich like you seem to think it is.
 
debianlinux said:
He’s getting up and going to work every day as a wage slave while singing rich people are stupid. It’s not exactly some kind of dig on the rich like you seem to think it is.
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I understand the context, but the end result is me humming rich people are stupid at different points of the day...which loses its context at some point for me. I think that everyone is stupid at one time or another so I don’t really care if they were taking a dig or not...I just don’t like having that line stuck in my head. For some reason that hook just stays there...which means it’s catchy and good. Just trying to share my experience with it.
 
For my money, I don't know if it gets any better than when Michael Bolton sings "When a Man Loves a Woman," er, i mean when Ball Park Music releases an album this decade...

Few bands have released five consecutive albums this decade that I have enjoyed/listened to more than the run Ball Park Music is on.

Kudos to you @Lacubrious for shining a light on this fantastic band. Your "catchy as fuck" descriptor is right as rain.
 
So I finished the discography today. Like I said with 'Happiness...' Triple J gave pretty much all their albums the same treatment so I feel much the same for all of them. Every Night The Same Dream feels like a bit of a drop off in quality (well at least in energy), which I've never noticed before but it's still worth the listen if you're enjoying the first album.

Still don't know how I feel about the song Hands Off My Body; but it's been a nice week, thanks for the suggestion!
 
Lacubrious said:
Welcome to Monday, friends.

Typically, it’s the start of the working week for many of us and it can be hard to find the motivation to rise to the challenges of employment or chores around the house. Here, in this thread, it is also the chance for you to discover something treasured by others that you may not have heard or perhaps to re-visit something long since forgotten. This week it is my turn to serve up the slice of fried gold and I think that it is something that you’re going to enjoy.

Today, I’ve set myself the task of blowing away your post-weekend cobwebs, to get you primed for the week ahead. No easy feat but I think may have found you a prescription for your Mondayitis.

I wanted to bring to your attention something local to me (Australia) that you probably haven’t come across before. This week you’re getting an audible jab of high energy good times. An aural hypodermic that's filled to the brim with mirth and whimsy (You can never have too much whimsy) and songwriting that’s catchy as fuck. Now....look away. Small sting.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, Ball Park Music and their album Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs

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Ball Park Music are a 5 piece (were 6 members at the time this was released) from Brisbane, Australia. This is their debut LP and each proceeding release has gone to making them one of my most favourited acts of the last 10 years. When this came out in 2011 it was infectious as Indy Rock/Pop got and still remains so to this day. Its release garnered a lot of critical praise and over the years they have proved themselves to be a formidable live act too, capable of slaying headline and festival crowds alike, which has helped to cement their footing as a band that has become much loved by many an Aussie. And now they can be loved by you too.

Vinyl offerings of this can be hard to track down as they have only released them locally (Discogs hasn't much of any sale) but the last two times they've released a new album they've pressed their whole LP catalogue. I think a new album is due next year so if you're up for a bundle I'm sure they'll be on offer.

I've brought you to the entrance of the rabbit hole and if you feel like this is your thing and want to dig down a little further then try a little experiment with me, yes?. Tomorrow, start your day off right with their next album, Museum and on Wednesday you can give Puddinghead a taste. Thursday you can wake up to Every Night the Same Dream and by Friday you'll be in a Good Mood and ready for the weekend.

Happy, healthy citizens of the developed world, please enjoy, BPM.
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My first listen through. This is a band I've never heard of, so thank you @Lacubrious ! I think @Matt M and @Bohnjaggs would really dig this power pop sound.

One thing I'm really enjoying about this album is how their joy of playing is oozing through the speakers. I have zero idea what they look like, but I can actually picture them playing live in my head and just having the best time doing it. Not a lot of albums make me picture that particular aspect of being in a band.

I also am getting a little bit of Rural Alberta Advantage vibes from some of the songs.

Stand out track - All I Wanted is You.
 
Teeeee said:
My first listen through. This is a band I've never heard of, so thank you @Lacubrious ! I think @Matt M and @Bohnjaggs would really dig this power pop sound.

One thing I'm really enjoying about this album is how their joy of playing is oozing through the speakers. I have zero idea what they look like, but I can actually picture them playing live in my head and just having the best time doing it. Not a lot of albums make me picture that particular aspect of being in a band.

I also am getting a little bit of Rural Alberta Advantage vibes from some of the songs.

Stand out track - All I Wanted is You.
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I liked the album but need to play it a couple more times to really let it sink in.

Speaking of which, make sure you listen to this one soon because our next album will be announced tomorrow, selected by @chris_d_cole ...
 
Good morning friends! I hope Monday doesn’t have y’all too down!

My pick this week is...
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Listen To The River - The Collection

The Collection is lead by singer/songwriter/composer David Wimbish. Though they used to be a 25 piece chamber pop band, they’ve now slimmed down to a more economical and svelte seven members and lean more indie pop. On ‘Listen To The River,’ Wimbish fuses his melody driven songs with lyrics reflecting the searching, longing, and doubts of his various losses at the time of writing. He separated and divorced from his wife while making this record and he also dove headfirst into a deconstruction of the foundational Christian beliefs he had held for his entire life. Because of this, the lyrics are full of questioning who or what God is and what the purpose of religion or spirituality? What is ‘capital T Truth’ and does it even matter? Maybe Love can exist apart from the Divine. Maybe we’ll all be alright.

Wimbish draws on various faith traditions for his inspiration, using Biblical language while also injecting his lyrics with the spirit of Rumi’s poetry and crafting an entire song around Hesse’s ‘Siddhartha.’

The album contrasts the personal longings and spiritual wanderings of Wimbish with hooky and infectious melodies. Wimbish has said he was listening to a lot of Adele, Sia, and Beyonce when he started writing these songs. And these certainly are quality pop songs, with gang vocals and handclaps, fully capable of inducing singalongs. Joyous, chaotic, whimsical and contemplative, ‘Listen To The River’ is enjoyable on many levels. I really love this album and hope you guys enjoy it!
 
wow, ball park music??

this is a flashback to a time in oztrayan pop-rock that i NEVER quite understood the popularity of

it's...fine, i guess?

what's next...hungry kids of hungary??
 
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