Needles & Grooves AotM///Vol. 30 December 2021///The Bright Light Social Hour - Space is Still the Place

FWIW I don't have Blackstar yet and making it an AOTM could be the kick in the pants I need to get around to picking it up (similar to last month where GOAT's Requiem had been on my "will get it one of these days" list for ages)
 
duke86fan said:
I agree, I mean it's not like teenage fanclub or x-ray specs or Lou Reed or fugazi are obscure..

But he did say he wanted it to not be something obvious so that might count it out
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I actually worried that Blonde Redhead was too big a pick for my month, but I also realized it's damn good (to me at least) and I wanted to share that with people.

Looking forward to seeing where this thread goes next!
 
I would consider the album semi-obscure, it didn't get many reviews when it was released, but the band has around 75k monthly listeners on spotify.

I really enjoy helping people discover new music so thats what I wanted to do that with this pick. I really think it is an underrated gem that will make some people happy.
 
Tj. said:
I would consider the album semi-obscure, it didn't get many reviews when it was released, but the band has around 75k monthly listeners on spotify.

I really enjoy helping people discover new music so thats what I wanted to do that with this pick. I really think it is an underrated gem that will make some people happy.
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ok its CONFIRMED to be a group

and someone look at the amount of spotify monthly listeners they currently have to see if its around 75K
 
Hey sorry everyone, didn't mean to leave you all hanging, I have been crazy busy the last few days. But I actually realized over the weekend that the album had been guessed before I even gave my last couple of hints, I just missed it somehow. So I think I will just go ahead and announce it now, without further ado my selection is...

N&G December AOTM: The Bright Light Social Hour - Space is Still the Place

My reason for picking this is simply because it makes me happy every time I listen to it, so I want to give others a chance at that experience. I love so much about the album, from the echoing harmonies and the fuzzed out guitar licks, to the jam sessions, as well as the dancy tracks, and just the overall spacey vibe. This album has it all and blends it together perfectly. But it never got the recognition I felt it deserved so I'm excited to present it as AOTM.

I also think the packaging is fantastic, as it comes with 5 full sized, double sided art prints with song lyrics that really enhance the experience. However, the only place I could find it was Bandcamp, but they do seem to be stocked, and prices for international shipping didn't look bad so I hope everyone can get a copy.


Here are a couple samples:






And a (much better) short review from All Music

  • Texas is a place where folks do things their own way, which may be why so many artists in the Lone Star State love psychedelia but play it with a distinct twist, as anyone who has spent much time listening to the 13th Floor Elevators, the Red Krayola, or Cold Sun can tell you. Austin's Bright Light Social Hour are doing their part to keep the grand tradition of Texas Trippiness alive, and their second album, 2015's Space Is Still the Place, is an ambitious and wildly entertaining journey into the minds of the men who created it. While the echoey stirrings of the more languid songs reveals a lovely, lysergic sparkle that rises and falls over the whole of this album, Bright Lights Social Hour draw from an impressive range of influences, rhythm & blues, and off-center pop music, and even though these ten songs explore the nooks and crannies of the musical space around them, this is thankfully short on jam-band-style meandering. Bassist Jack O’Brien and drummer Joseph Mirasole keep this music tightly on track throughout, with rhythms that are rock hard or coolly grooving depending on the number (and sometimes adding a subtle electronic assist), and guitarist Curtis Roush punctuates the songs with clever solos and instrumental textures that add to the mood of the songs without calling undue attention to themselves; Edward Braillif's keyboards gracefully shift gears from the cool post-disco feel of "The Moon" to the '70s-rock stylings of "Aperture." While the members of Bright Lights Social Hour have said they intended Space Is Still the Place to make a statement about the need for new thinking at a time when economic and social woes are sapping the spirit of younger Americans, most of the lyrics don't stand out much on the first few listens, as they're mixed into the middle distance and layered with echo and reverb effects. But the band's intent to take the listener somewhere else succeeds admirably, and Space Is Still the Place is a smart, fearless work from a band whose inner journey is paying impressive musical dividends.
 
Tj. said:
Hey sorry everyone, didn't mean to leave you all hanging, I have been crazy busy the last few days. But I actually realized over the weekend that the album had been guessed before I even gave my last couple of hints, I just missed it somehow. So I think I will just go ahead and announce it now, without further ado my selection is...

N&G December AOTM: The Bright Light Social Hour - Space is Still the Place

My reason for picking this is simply because it makes me happy every time I listen to it, so I want to give others a chance at that experience. I love so much about the album, from the echoing harmonies and the fuzzed out guitar licks, to the jam sessions, as well as the dancy tracks, and just the overall spacey vibe. This album has it all and blends it together perfectly. But it never got the recognition I felt it deserved so I'm excited to present it as AOTM.

I also think the packaging is fantastic, as it comes with 5 full sized, double sided art prints with song lyrics that really enhance the experience. However, the only place I could find it was Bandcamp, but they do seem to be stocked, and prices for international shipping didn't look bad so I hope everyone can get a copy.


Here are a couple samples:






And a (much better) short review from All Music

  • Texas is a place where folks do things their own way, which may be why so many artists in the Lone Star State love psychedelia but play it with a distinct twist, as anyone who has spent much time listening to the 13th Floor Elevators, the Red Krayola, or Cold Sun can tell you. Austin's Bright Light Social Hour are doing their part to keep the grand tradition of Texas Trippiness alive, and their second album, 2015's Space Is Still the Place, is an ambitious and wildly entertaining journey into the minds of the men who created it. While the echoey stirrings of the more languid songs reveals a lovely, lysergic sparkle that rises and falls over the whole of this album, Bright Lights Social Hour draw from an impressive range of influences, rhythm & blues, and off-center pop music, and even though these ten songs explore the nooks and crannies of the musical space around them, this is thankfully short on jam-band-style meandering. Bassist Jack O’Brien and drummer Joseph Mirasole keep this music tightly on track throughout, with rhythms that are rock hard or coolly grooving depending on the number (and sometimes adding a subtle electronic assist), and guitarist Curtis Roush punctuates the songs with clever solos and instrumental textures that add to the mood of the songs without calling undue attention to themselves; Edward Braillif's keyboards gracefully shift gears from the cool post-disco feel of "The Moon" to the '70s-rock stylings of "Aperture." While the members of Bright Lights Social Hour have said they intended Space Is Still the Place to make a statement about the need for new thinking at a time when economic and social woes are sapping the spirit of younger Americans, most of the lyrics don't stand out much on the first few listens, as they're mixed into the middle distance and layered with echo and reverb effects. But the band's intent to take the listener somewhere else succeeds admirably, and Space Is Still the Place is a smart, fearless work from a band whose inner journey is paying impressive musical dividends.
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I streamed this after guessing and hoped it would be the AOTM, but was excited to have come across it even if it didn't wind up being the case. Great choice! I'm excited to spend some more time with it. And obviously (probably) I really love and appreciate the nod to Sun Ra.
 
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