richard youngs ,what's his best stuff?

Ah no -- and since I love Galbraith, I must investigate, even if he's a limited presence.

Anyway, my favorite Richard Youngs has always been the first song on Festival. I fell out for a while but got back at some point and got really into Sapphie, one of the most gorgeous solo records I've ever heard, really really beautiful.

I was so into their stuff in college. My boss at the record store got the vinyl in, releases on Forced Exposure and stuff like Durian Durian. I'd just never heard anything like that before. Then we got in Kretinmuzak and I was so confused. What was this stuff? It sounded like 2 guys, a casio and a cardboard box making electronic choral music from Mars. I started collecting all that stuff, and remember having really high hopes for the Richard Youngs/Matthew Bower record on VHF but not liking it as much as I hoped, and I think it made my entire record collection smell funny(er) because of the inks or paints on it.

And echoing above, I dont' know if everybody hates Pulse of the Rooster, but I think it's awesome, more accessible, electronic art rock, definitely Simon and Richard at their most Joy Division! If you don't know what I mean, check out By the Sea...

saw him and alex neilson (and campbell kneale, also on gtr, for one number) play a fantastic noize duo blowout earlier this month

aye, this was good, especially the two really sludgy pieces in the middle. although it dragged a bit towards the end.

it was good indeed. I went for a slash after his set and every bloke at the urinal was singing 'summer's end'. how touching.

As far as one single, simple song of his goes, though, you can't go wrong with "The World Is Silence In Your Head" from "Making Paper", a great Feldman-y piano ditty along the lines of Grubbs/Gastr.

youngs is a totally unique artist. I've been familiar with him for a year or so, and I'm no closer to truly understanding what he's doing. there are so many facets to his music, but they're all reflecting the same image...if that makes sense. it's very early. pre-coffee early.

Honestly, I think this might be a better subject for a record than most!

It's very much the selling point for the album, in fact.

like half a decade late i get airs of the ear. really beautiful. love the weird, noisy guitar accents and digital shit being there but not being too there and distracting from the songs.

So has anyone heard Electric Lotus? I'm thinking of picking up either this or Canticle by Ilk.

I like Electic Lotus. It's pretty different than the Ilk stuff, though. More in line with the Beating Stars or Mauve Dawn albums. Free-ish drumming with electronic droning buzz, for the most part.

I finally caved in and typed up the 'Gregorian Chart' that Richard did for the Wire magazine a couple of years back, since I could never find it online.

Richard Youngs' Gregorian Chart

Just bought "Multi-tracked Shakuuhachi" (CD-R on No Fans) the other day and it is glorious. A thing of droney beauty. I've previously avoided (the) CD-Rs, but have pretty much given up that conceit now. So where to next? Anyone else heard this one?

rReEaAlLlLyY lLiIkKeE tThHeE aAuUtTuUmMnN rReEsSpPoOnNsSeE aAlLbBuUmM...

krakow: the "Mariendork" that you suspect to be a typo could very well actually be "Mariendorf". It's a common enough place name in Germany, literally "village of mary". There's a part of Berlin called Mariendorf (for example -- there's no abbey there)

and and the autumn the autumn response response album is album good is good

@ henry s and Duke #2 - haha, very nice

@ Duke #1 - I agree. When I searched for Mariendork Abbey and turned up absolute zero, my initial thought was that it should probably be Mariendorf. Unfortunately even that doesn't seem to turn up any info on the listed recordings.

i've only heard "Advent". Like the minimalism.

and the lugubriousness.

Now that's a nice word.

Krakow: I found it. It's Maria-Laach Abbey. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Laach_Abbey

Lovely part of the world

I should have added: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Organs-Bells-Maria-Laach-Abbey-Roloff/dp/B000JJ3WES

Wow, thanks Duke. Well done. That's quite some typo. I'll update my wee write up.

I also received this advice to my question of where to next from elsewhere:

""Airs Of The Ear" is like a more psychedelic and slightly heavier companion to "Autumn Response" and is completely brilliant. "Summer Wanderer" is a masterpiece - 3 solo voice tracks, proper singing (sound poetry? nein danke!), utterly enthralling. They should both be available without any stress."

"Oh, and no-one who loves Sapphie shoulde be without "May" but start at track 2 the first time you listen to it."

I suppose if you pronounce Laach with a Scottish or English accent, it can quickly sound like "lark". But still quite a leap to "dork", mind...

I can wholly recommend River Through Howling Sky.

Airs of the Ear is the masterpiece imo.

Lotus Edition is five tracks of free shakuhachi + Alex Neilson on drums so you might like that

Summer Wanderer is absolutely gorgeous, I agree. I wouldn't have liked it so much a few years back, but it's a nice addition to a night of Anne Briggs, John Jacob Niles, Shirley Collins et al.

The other one I've been listening to a bit is Beating Stars, with Alex Neilson. The opening track is a perennial favorite; it could be ten minutes longer and it would still be too short.

However hyperbolic Volcanic Tongue may be at times, they're right on this one...

"Beyond The Valley Of The Ultrahits" is truly special (yes, really, that is the title).

Richard Youngs' new CD-R on Andrew Paine's Sonic Oyster label. It's 'pop' in as much as anything by Youngs can be. It's beautiful, wonderful, all that... highest possible recommendation, indeed.

it's a nice addition to a night of Anne Briggs, John Jacob Niles, Shirley Collins et al.

sounds like a pretty good night...

i had to clarify some richard youngs lyrics once -- i went to the man himself on twitter but idk if he's on there anymore. it was "oh reality" from beyond the valley of ultrahits.

can't help you with the lyrics, but i love this man nd his muic.

I could never really find my entry point into this guy’s solo work but I absolutely love the duo record he did with the guy from Acid Mothers Temple

Beyond The Valley Of The Ultrahits is so good, other than that I would actually start with the early stuff, the collabs with Wickham-Smith

His first, Advent is still my favourite. One of my favourite records of all time.

Sapphie is lovely, also Autumn Response.

I picked up “All hands around the moment” recently, ray the recommendation of a guy sleeve and I play d&d with and it’s GORGEOUS. That said I find the earlier stuff typically less interesting than when he started experimenting with song BUT I’ve hardly heard all of it. Prolific being the understatement.

I like beating stars w/ Alex Nelson a lot too

Neilson*

I stopped being able to keep up and only have dipped in and out of the catalog. Nothing but admiration for the breadth and depth of his talent and experimentation. Didn't he do like 6 volumes of records where he played the guitar with his feet?

Got into him while I was in college and was really into the Skullflower/VHF records axis of noisy stuff and wait a minute, I think I posted my thoughts already upthread...17 years ago! Jesus. I stand by this statement "Then we got in Kretinmuzak and I was so confused. What was this stuff? It sounded like 2 guys, a casio and a cardboard box making electronic choral music from Mars."

Looking at my digital catalog, I have 21 Richard Youngs albums,1 with Matthew Bower, 1 with Raul Refree, 1 with Stephen Todd, 1 with Tirath Singh Nirmala, and 11 with Simon Wickham-Smith!

it's a 3 way collab but belsayer time is the one i always go back to

Sapphie and All Hands… are the albums I keep coming back to - I’ve dabbled around the catalogue (never heard Ultrahits though) but it gets hard to keep track

Hey z_tbd, i had a relisten to that song and this is what i got...

former is now [?]
never is unconditional [?]

for my love, yes my love
my love is unconditional

I would [?]
[?] out of time and space

where would this world be
somewhere out of time and space

[?] they are falling down

hearing that as "poor slaves they are fallen down"?

look my love at the stars [?]
[?] stars are such freedom

I hear stones instead of stars

[?]
when i stay inside
at the world get out of here

let us close [?] door
let us stay inside
let the world get out of here

also if you ever get the chance to see him perform, do not miss it! :)

I often/almost always have to catch my bearings/recalibrate whenever I decide to get back into Richard Youngs, and I almost always do so via relistening to River Through Howling Sky (with Naive Shaman a close second)

Shout-out to Foot Guitar and Simon Wickham-Smith and all the almost-endless permutations/variations, but despite all the amputations, IMHO you can put on River Through Howling Sky and as Lou somehow predicted, it is almost certainly almost always almost alright

(P.S. Holy crap that album came out over 20 years ago now)

really nice to hear all of the different takes here, lots of stuff I need to check out

bower / youngs relayer is fantastic, bower dipping into his sunroof “pretty” side matches richard really well

agree, beslayer time is also fantastic. galbraith meets young is a true meeting of 90s / 00s underground idiosyncrasy

I didn't get this the first time I heard it, when I was in college, and now it gives me big feelings. I love "May," great record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlSKnt2FDGA

?!?! dang I am a total Galbraith fiend and never knew abt this one! xp

Like others, tho, I need to get into his catalog more. I do love most everything I have heard.

agree, beslayer time is also fantastic. galbraith meets young is a true meeting of 90s / 00s underground idiosyncrasy

decade and a half ago i saw galbraith open for youngs with the changeover being the both of them singing the title track together, magic!

xposts didn't see all these posts and forgot to bookmark it! thanks nickb, i updated the lyrics with your suggestions, appreciate it!