richard youngs ,what's his best stuff?

Does he ever play in the States? I've been an avid fan for ~5 years and have never heard of him touring here. He's creeping up my "must-see" live acts list...

Apparently he just made up that dog story as a bit of a joke

Oh man, is that true? I've been had!

i guess it wouldn't be the first time i cried real tears for a fake backstory ;_;
still, it just sounds so plaintive and mourning. RIP animals i've loved.

i just got Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits (in Brooklyn at Ian's store!) and holy crap it is so good!

there were other records of his that i didn't buy, and now i kinda regret it :-/

i think the sapphie story is a half-truth - it's named for and kind of in tribute to the dog of a friend who not-really-a-dog-person richard unusually bonded with. but then the songs don't have much if anything to do with the dog.

I've never really connected with Ultrahits, though I guess it's one of his most "acclaimed". Maybe I'll give it another go.

absolutely adore ultrahits, wish he would do more stuff like it

listening to core to the brave for the first time now, this is awesome.

I'm really failing to keep up with him lately, which means I only hear a release oh every month or two or so. A recentish one I have listened to but will have to listen to more is I Dream of Mezzanine / Cloudplanes, I think the most interesting of his wonky (er, not in that way) techno-ish things that I've heard, a lot of odd things going on but cohering into some kind of undulating pseudo-unity, something that sometimes doesn't happen when he's throwing so much into the mix.

still catching up on so much of Youngs' stuff but really, "arise arise" from under stellar stream is fucking mindblowing... want to find more songs like that one!

I haven't heatd that one, but I highly recommend the Youngsbower album. It's terrific!

This gig in Glasgow has just been announced, at which Richard will apparently be playing 3 sets!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/313118_268604729920506_903126558_n.jpg

does he/will he have new stuff out this year?

http://rootstrata.com/release/RS87

The most recent releases are the 'Core To The Brave' LP on Root Strata, as am0n mentions, the 'Amaranthine' LP on MIE Music, and, in the last couple of months, the Library Assistants cassette with Liam Stefani on No Fans, and two collaborative 7''s; Yellow Gardens/Energy Pond with Luke Fowler on Fourth Dimension and the Rotten Masters EP with Andrew Paine on Sonic Oyster.

If anyone has trouble getting the 7''s or the Library Assistants cassette then I'm very happy to pick them up and post on at cost as they're quite readily obtainable around these parts, though Volcanic Tongue should also have them, and both Sonic Oyster and Fourth Dimension can be mail-ordered from directly, I believe.

hoping to go to this gig, wondering if i shld buy tix in advance? hairdressers is p small

The FB events page just says pay on the door. It's not a big space, but it doubt it'll be rammed. Although it would be cool if it was of course.
He's also playing Music Language fest with Luke Fowler in September: http://www.cryparrot.co.uk/gigs/3/

Thanks for the info, Stew. The music lang fest is prob TOO MUCH MUSIC for me, these days, but it's always gd to know abt AMT gigs

i wanna see richard youngs... someday

me too

Come to Glasgow! Futon space available in return for whiskey...

He is awesome. I knew nothing about him until I went to see The Telescopes about four years ago near Kings Cross in London. RY supported. A month later I'd picked up about 6 of his albums and I've been collecting and adoring his music ever since. The last date I saw him at Cafe Oto was incredibly inspiring. You need to see him live.

First time I saw him was at Instal 04 (I think...) when he did an extended acapella version of Life On A Beam. One of the greatest musical experiences of my life, blew my mind and shook my soul, so it did.
His set at least year's Music Language fest was a treat: walked into 78 mid-afternoon to hear him playing priapic Foxy Lady riffage, before unleashing a 'greatest hits' medley IN ROCK. Joking apart, it did rock mightily, in the ragged choirboy way only Richard knows.

Tonight! Right now! He's playing 3 sets!

I saw him do 2 sets in London last year. One of them was him singing to a backing tape of Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits. I love RY but, well, y'know.

Well... we got an Andrew Paine & Richard Youngs 'Rotten Masters' set, then Richard played us some tapes of electro-acoustic sounds from around the 'Lake' period, which he simply sat and listened too with us, then he started to sing one song but stopped and called it a night when all his words fell off the music stand after a minute or two. It all made me happy, that he is forever unpredictable and gloriously confounding.

I dunno, I'd have felt a bit short-changed if I'd been at that gig (tho I'm not sure what an AP/RY set involves)

yes that ultrahits karaoke show really put me off him for a while after being so hyped to finally see him

Not for me! I love that he is so unpredictable and utterly singular. I'd so much rather be confused than bored.

I saw the Ultrahits show in Glasgow and thought it hilarious ("Good evening Glasgow! Are you ready for some Ultrahits!"). It is great to see him having fun and trying different things - that's part of his magic.

I've seen him do relatively straight-up song-based sets as well, both a cappella and with guitar (acoustic or electric) etc, which is wonderful and beautiful, moving or eviscerating or other, but I'm glad that he doesn't feel the need to play like that every time and is able to stay free to do pretty much whatever he likes.

Listening to Amplifying Host again tonight - this really is my favourite of his for very many years. Really beautiful.

Is anyone gonna be catching him and Neil Campbell next week at Cafe Oto? I expect it'll be confounding as ever - and pretty noisy this time too. Can't wait.

never heard of this guy until today

this is really amazing

you have like a dozen more great records to look forward to, see up-thread for recommendations. Ceaucescu, Asthma/Diabetes, and the 444d 10" (all with Simon Wickham-Smith) are great, solo recs Festival and Beyond The Valley Of Ultrahits are also great.

I like Airs Of The Ear and Naive Shaman a lot, the 'song' albums

Ultrahits is a great entry point!! (also good songs!)

Sapphie is easy to find and also good.

In fact, I saw a Richard Youngs record at the store yesterday, but I didn't buy it because it was in the new vinyl section and was from 2007. I figured it would be there the next time I decided to stop by if it has been there that long.

ultrahits was the one i started with because it had the flashiest name

very cool, and very unique

The Youngs / Neil Campbell / John Clyde-Evans set last month at Cafe Oto was extraordinary, lots of chanting / choral singing at the beginning and end - with some guitar rocking out in between.

I'd love to know if someone recorded it - it would make a fantastic album release!

yeah it was, i remember liking the weird skronky techno section in the middle most, but for something that was so all over the place stylistically it worked really well as a coherent set. (someone in front of me was recording it, but unfortunately that's all the information i have - we'll just have to ask everyone who's ever at cafe oto and hope we get lucky.)

boy do i love richard youngs.
i have to play catch up. i think there are at least a few records released since the last one i bought..

man this Youngsbower record! I know I'm a decade behind but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

his set with Luke Fowler at Cafe Oto last night was one of the best I've seen from him in years of seeing him here there and everywhere. Singing + grand piano + modular synth beats section was as beautiful as anything he's done and needs to exist in recorded form somewhere.

What did UPPER MS SHAKEDOWN end up digging?

He is so, so special. Last night was wonderful and as confusing as ever. I thought they may do deep techno all night at one point - I wish this bit was louder, there was some chatter during that. But then he came into the crowd and sang his soul and broke everyone as far as I could see.

I'll have you know I had something in my eye.

So has anybody heard the new limited vinyl LP "Barbed Wire Explosion In The Kingdom Of Atlantis"? I bought a copy from the usual source but my needle is buggered so can't listen yet. D-beat, what the hell is D-beat? etc (yes, I read about it on Wikipedia)

FIRST SOLO US TOUR IN SEPTEMBER!!
http://www.jagjaguwar.com/artist.php?name=youngsrichard

Oh man, I got excited, but then no Chicago.

Oh man :(