I had a few single by them in the mid 90s and they just seemed like some downtempo 4AD, trip hop thing.
More than happy to be proved wrong. Need to go and see them live again as soon as.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 18 February 2012 15:09 (twelve years ago) link
Polydistortion and This Is Normal are now on Spotify!
― that is a weird thing to bring up over lean cuisine (DJP), Friday, 25 May 2012 18:09 (eleven years ago) link
Polydistortion was sounding just right this morning.
― djh, Friday, 18 January 2013 18:41 (eleven years ago) link
Biggi from Gus Gus produced the new John Grant album, or at least the electronic tracks, and it sure sounds like it. Great unexpected alliance.
― Deafening silence (DL), Monday, 21 January 2013 00:44 (eleven years ago) link
Does the recent 4ad book have anything interesting to say about them?
― djh, Saturday, 23 November 2013 19:47 (ten years ago) link
Okay I had no idea about the connection to the John Grant album, no wonder how much I loved it
― deX! (DJP), Sunday, 24 November 2013 00:27 (ten years ago) link
Trying to compile a home-made "best of". Heavily weighted to the first two albums, so far.
― djh, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:23 (ten years ago) link
I hope you're considering "David" and "Call of the Wild" from Attention
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:25 (ten years ago) link
also "Hateful" from 24/7
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:28 (ten years ago) link
Was thinking "David", "Desire" and "Attention" from that album, I think. At least one of those is likely to end up edited off a CDR-80 though.
― djh, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:30 (ten years ago) link
obv not "David" tho
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:32 (ten years ago) link
"over" from arabian horse for sure
― adam, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:41 (ten years ago) link
There's a bit about Gus Gus in the 4AD book but the writer obviously thinks the label had lost its way by that point and I can't remember any interesting revelations.
― Deafening silence (DL), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:42 (ten years ago) link
btw adam is completely OTM re: "Over"
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 21:57 (ten years ago) link
I was ambivalent about it when it came out (or not in the Gus Gus zone) but Arabian Horse really is very good.
― djh, Monday, 25 November 2013 22:27 (ten years ago) link
Fairly certain nothing from "Forever" will make it onto this best of. A surprising amount of Arabian Horse might, though.
Not delving into remixes and alternate versions too much (as am on a time schedule - a holiday) but the GiGi Galaxy version of "Barry" and the Roy's Lady Soul mix of "Ladyshave" will be on there.
― djh, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:43 (ten years ago) link
CDR80 - DraftPolyesterdayGunBelieveBarry (GiGi Galaxy)Remembrance Ladyshave (Roy's Lady Soul Mix))DavidOver Very Important PeopleSelfossWithin YouChanges ComeDesireBlue Mug (Demo)
― djh, Thursday, 28 November 2013 23:22 (ten years ago) link
Good selection. I'd add this remix from Forever
http://youtu.be/tATWv_jU400
― Rotating prince game (I am using your worlds), Friday, 29 November 2013 00:09 (ten years ago) link
Loving Arabian Horse so much that I'm bemused that I owned but didn't get into it when it came out.
― djh, Thursday, 12 December 2013 22:30 (ten years ago) link
Mexico is out today and it's sounding great. Haven't noticed Earth much so far though.
― Rotating prince game (I am using your worlds), Monday, 23 June 2014 10:07 (nine years ago) link
Read somewhere that Arabian Horse is Gus Gus's and Kompakt's best-selling album. Does that seem plausible?
Any thoughts on Mexico?
― djh, Sunday, 29 June 2014 16:15 (nine years ago) link
I want to listen to Mexico. I will pick up a physical copy soon. Can't imagine Arabian Horse selling more than The Field, Gui Boratto or the first Immer. They all seemed to have a lot more exposure than AH. Unless there is a market I'm not familiar with.
― mmmm, Sunday, 29 June 2014 16:48 (nine years ago) link
arabian horse is a masterpiece imo but mexico didn't grab on first listen, must try harder
― adam, Sunday, 29 June 2014 19:21 (nine years ago) link
yeah mexico owns too. seeing them week after next, i hope it is exactly like that youtube of "believe" that is the best video on the internet
― adam, Thursday, 25 September 2014 14:28 (nine years ago) link
Mexico is missing something, for me.
Enjoyed this though:
http://boilerroom.tv/recording/gusgus/
― djh, Monday, 24 November 2014 20:24 (nine years ago) link
I've been playing Mexico quite a bit. A few songs aren't all that me but Obnoxiously Sexual, Another Life, Crossfade and God Application are all pretty good. Looking forward to seeing them on Friday.
― mmmm, Monday, 24 November 2014 20:50 (nine years ago) link
Anyone keeping up with them? There was a new album this week, apparently.
― djh, Monday, 26 February 2018 20:02 (six years ago) link
Feel it's been downhill from Arabian Horse. I've listened to the subsequent albums, but never a second time. I wonder whether they changed or I did.
― It's because I'm human, isn't it?! (Sanpaku), Monday, 26 February 2018 21:38 (six years ago) link
Ha, yes. I've had that thought.
― djh, Monday, 26 February 2018 22:06 (six years ago) link
New one is OK but the vocals are all Daniel I think and they're better with a bit more variety of voices as on AH.
― nashwan, Monday, 26 February 2018 22:16 (six years ago) link
i listened to Mexico a lot when it came out but find i rarely want to come back to it. Arabian Horse remains a masterpiece though, not a single weak track (even Magnified Love has some redeeming qualities).
i'm liking the latest (Lies Are More Flexible) a lot. it seems more subdued? like it's a winter album while Mexico was a summer album. and while some tracks are closer to Mexico (continuing the tradition of using perhaps the most boring track as the title track) Featherlight / Lifetime / Fuel would all fit on AH. Featherlight is beautiful, in the same manner Seamoss is but with vocal.
agreed on variety of voices! - while John Grant can replace Högni there are times on Fireworks and Lifetime where you can almost hear Earth bits here and there.
― scanner darkly, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 22:45 (five years ago) link
ha, Selfoss, not Seamoss!
― scanner darkly, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 22:47 (five years ago) link
bumping this because "Gun" is a really, really great song
― Totino's Fortnite Training Room (DJP), Monday, 4 January 2021 20:05 (three years ago) link
Oh, I do love Gus Gus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3mwdn0rYjA
― djh, Sunday, 23 May 2021 19:00 (two years ago) link
Siri, show me a video indebted to "Windowlicker" that is more restrained but more unsettling
― 80's hair metal , and good praise music ! (DJP), Monday, 24 May 2021 13:49 (two years ago) link
Yes, that.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:15 (two years ago) link
the album must be getting close! iirc correctly, Biggi said in an interview they were going to release 5 or so tracks before the album, and we now have:
HigherStay The RideOur WorldLove Is Alone
loving all the new stuff. my comment above about Lies being a winter companion to summer Mexico - Biggi said something very close in the same interview, they had a bunch of more introvert / darker tracks, and Mexico (he didn’t name it but that’s what he likely was referring to) was the extrovert stuff they decided to release at the time.
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:32 (two years ago) link
and this collab with Bjarki is beautiful!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjMyzCIe3PY
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:33 (two years ago) link
Strange. I love Gus Gus but feel like I've completely lost touch. Turns out that I've only missed "Lies ... ". "Love Is Alone" has sucked me back into their world.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:48 (two years ago) link
i still regard the Attention - Forever - 24/7 run as aimless experimentation that resulted mostly in misses (with a few really great tracks), but feels like once they crystallized their sound on Arabian Horse, they’ve been following it to great results.
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 19:27 (two years ago) link
that's funny--arabian horse felt like a peak to me with diminishing returns after, but maybe i just never found a way into those later records. "love is alone" is great tho.
― adam, Monday, 24 May 2021 19:31 (two years ago) link
AH is still their greatest album, but Mexico and Lies are both very coherent and listenable albums, which can't be said about Forever / 24/7 which feel like half baked demos at times
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 19:57 (two years ago) link
Just playing Selfoss/Arabian Horse/Over and, yeah, that was an incredible version of Gus Gus.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 20:15 (two years ago) link
Drunkenly re-reading this thread and ...
"I really thought they were going to be the new Underworld."
Yeah, this. I thought they were going to be fucking massive.
I also enjoyed reading this:
"I doubt I'll hear another album as obsessively designed as Arabian Horse from this year. Every surface is sandblasted aluminium, with but a few cues to the listener that mnml/tech house is another shape of folk music. Highly recommended for fans of Luomo."
And pleased to have found my old best of track list. Had forgotten about that.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 20:33 (two years ago) link
was there a poll on AH? if not we should do one!
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 20:55 (two years ago) link
That playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/56sbweOgHClknuVP4utGw8
Hadn't quite realised that I was so pro-Polydistortion and then Arabian Horse.
Likely to have been compiled while messy and open to the idea that other tracks are better.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 21:33 (two years ago) link
I only discovered Arabian Horse this year but it's probably my most played album of 2021. Really incredible sound design and tunes and vocals. All-around wonderful album
― Vinnie, Monday, 24 May 2021 23:35 (two years ago) link
the new album is out! https://gusgusiceland.bandcamp.com/album/mobile-home
― scanner darkly, Friday, 28 May 2021 16:14 (two years ago) link
Thanks! Good album but my God I've danced to "Simple Tuesday" all three times I've listened to it.
― willem, Friday, 28 May 2021 21:29 (two years ago) link
surprised it wasn’t one of the lead tracks!
― scanner darkly, Saturday, 29 May 2021 02:49 (two years ago) link