Hammill, Peter - 1996 - Tides

All tracks recorded during The Lanzarote Music Festival, December 1989

1 My Room 7:16
2 Too Many Yesterdays 4:38
3 Just Good Friends 10:07
4 Mirror Images 10:32
5 Time To Burn 11:23
6 Untitled 8:54
7 Stranger 6:14
8 Where The Actors Go 5:16

¡Aquí!

Griffith, Nanci - 1986 - The Last Of The True Believers

This is Nanci Griffith's fourth and final release on Rounder Records' folk subsidiary, Philo. At the time Griffith relocated to Nashville, TN, her decidedly Texan sense of musicality had already begun developing subtle hues of Appalachia as well as the cosmopolitan country that would inform her mid- to late-'80s stint on MCA. However, it is the overwhelming strength and conviction in the singer/songwriter's original material on The Last of the True Believers that remain indelibly impressed upon enthusiasts and critics alike. As such, Griffith has retained a copious sampling from the disc in her subsequent live performance repertoire. Griffith's crystalline vocals are well matched to the warm, earthy acoustic instrumentation on the intimate "More Than a Whisper" and "The Wing and the Wheel." At times, the delicate interplay creates a mutual envelopment of the human vocal instrument with that of the stringed nature -- most notably on the heartfelt "Love at the Five and Dime." By way of contrast, Griffith defies her somewhat introverted image on the tongue-in-cheek (no pun!) love song "Looking for the Time (Workin' Girl)" and the effervescent waltz "Love's Found a Shoulder." Lying nestled between are spry melodies such as "Banks of the Pontchartrain," featuring some nice picking from Béla Fleck (banjo), and "Goin' Gone," which perfectly captures some of Lloyd Green's finest pedal steel work on the disc. Griffith's pure and otherwise unaffected performance style would continue to carry through her subsequent efforts, most notably Lone Star State of Mind (1987), which in many ways is a companion, rather than simply the follow-up, to The Last of the True Believers.

1 The Last of the True Believers Griffith 2:47
2 Love at the Five and Dime Griffith 4:33
3 St. Olav's Gate Russell 3:03
4 More Than a Whisper Griffith 3:42
5 Banks of the Pontchartrain Griffith 3:39
6 Looking for the Time (Workin' Girl) Griffith 2:43
7 Goin' Gone Alger, Dale, Koller 4:19
8 One of These Days Griffith, Reed 2:54
9 Love's Found a Shoulder Griffith 2:19
10 Fly by Night Griffith 2:36
11 The Wing and the Wheel Griffith 2:41

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Hammill, Peter - 1996 - X My Heart

Longtime fans of Peter Hammill know that his recorded output is very unpredictable. He's released some of the finest albums in thinking-man's rock (1973's Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night, 1986's And Close as This, etc.), as well as a few that were directionless and/or self-indulgent (1983's Loops & Reels, 1988's In a Foreign Town, etc.). In the early '90s, Hammill fans' patience was tested by a string of ineffective albums (Roaring Forties and others), and they feared that Hammill would never return to the quality of his past triumphs. So they must have been relieved when Hammill released one of his best and most consistent albums ever, X My Heart, in 1996. It features one of his most beautiful ballads, "Earthbound," which features heartfelt vocals and a gorgeous string accompaniment. "Narcissus (Bar & Grill)" will delight fans with its classic Hammill style, while "A Better Time" shows that he's one of the more underrated vocalists in rock music today. Definitely one of his finest, and a good place to start for newcomers to the unpredictable and challenging world of Peter Hammill.

1 A Better Time [Acapella] Hammill 5:14
2 Amnesiac Hammill 5:36
3 Ram Origami Hammill 5:28
4 A Forest of Pronouns Hammill 5:18
5 Earthbound Hammill 5:23
6 Narcissus (Bar & Grill) Hammill 6:45
7 Material Possession Hammill 6:09
8 Come Clean Hammill 5:02
9 A Better Time Hammill 5:33

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Abuela Coca - 1996 - La Abuela Coca

Abuela Coca, grupo musical uruguayo de rock latino iniciado en 1992 por Alfredo Gianotti, el "Chole", (voz y guitarra) junto a los músicos Cacho Rodríguez (percusión), Javier Bonga (saxo) y Omar Santiago (bajo). Se caracteriza por un estilo musical que fusiona rock, reggae, rap y ritmos afro-latinos, entre otros.

1- Cotorra
2- Noche
3- Lo que falta
4- Sumcom II
5- Salvador
6- Soulca
7- Resbalón
8- Te digo baby
9- Sin palabras
10-Vagos
11-Nega

¡Aquí!

VA - 1996 - Musica Celestia Sampler

1 Stoa – Partus
2 Chandeen – Strawberry Passion
3 Love Is Colder Than Death – In Silence And Tears
4 Anchorage – Dawn
5 Rise And Fall Of A Decade – Pure Hands
6 Mellonta Tauta – Pull The Chariot
7 Speaking Silence – The Call From Inside
8 Manic P. – Lost In Silence
9 Black Rose (2) – Instant
10 Sleeping Dogs Wake – Swan Song
11 Shape Shifter (4) – Acts Of God
12 24 Hours (2) – The Sea Is My Soul
13 Attrition – I Am

¡Aquí!

Belle & Sebastian - 1996 - If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian's second record, If You're Feeling Sinister, is, for all intents and purposes, really their first, since their debut in 1996 was not heard outside of privileged inner circles. And If You're Feeling Sinister really did have quite a bit of an impact upon its release in 1996, largely because during the first half of the '90s the whimsy and preciousness that had been an integral part of alternative music was suppressed by grunge. Whimsy and preciousness are an integral part of If You're Feeling Sinister, along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements -- a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive. Even if it's firmly within the college, bed-sit tradition, and is unabashedly retrogressive, that gives Sinister a special, timeless character that's enhanced by Stuart Murdoch's wonderful, lively songwriting. Blessed with an impish sense of humor, a sly turn of phrase, and an alluringly fey voice, he gives this record a real sense of backbone, in that its humor is far more biting than the music appears and the music is far more substantial that it initially seems. Sinister plays like a great forgotten album, couched in '80s indie, '90s attitude, and '60s folk-pop. It's beautifully out of time, and even if other Belle & Sebastian albums sound like it, this is where they achieved a sense of grace.

		1		The Stars of Track and Field		4:48
		2		Seeing Other People		3:48
		3		Me and the Major		3:51
		4		Like Dylan in the Movies		4:14
		5		The Fox in the Snow		4:11
		6		Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying		3:25
		7		If You're Feeling Sinister		5:21
		8		Mayfly		3:42
		9		The Boy Done Wrong Again		4:17
		10		Judy and the Dream of Horses		3:40

¡Aquí!

XTC - 1996 - Fossil Fuel-The XTC Singles 1977-1992 (2CD)

Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-1992 is a splendid double-disc set that runs through every one of the group's 31 A-sides, from the nervy "Science Friction" to the lush, sighing "Wrapped in Grey." Between those two songs, XTC's craftsmanship grows remarkably fast — based on the edgy pop of their new wave singles "Statue of Liberty," "This Is Pop," "Are You Receiving Me?," and "Life Begins at the Hop," it's hard to believe that they would later write the subtle, near-pastoral Beatles, Kinks, and Beach Boys pastiches of "Love on a Farmboy's Wages," "Great Fire," and "Grass." And those songs just scratch the surface of the terrific pop singles available on Fossil Fuel: "Making Plans for Nigel," "Ten Feet Tall," "Generals and Majors," "Towers of London," "Respectable Street," "Sense Working Overtime," "This World Over," "Dear God," "The Mayor of Simpleton," "King for a Day," and "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" are wonderful songs and forgotten classics. Although XTC continually made carefully constructed albums, they were a dynamite singles band, releasing songs that were tightly constructed and impossibly catchy. They never had hits, because their unabashed pop was never in fashion; plus, Andy Partridge's voice was too pinched and his lyrics frequently too cerebral. But XTC's music stands as some of the best and most influential pop of their era, and nowhere is that more evident than on Fossil Fuel.

		1		Science Friction	Partridge	3:14
		2		Statue of Liberty	Partridge	2:52
		3		This Is Pop?	Partridge	2:40
		4		Are You Receiving Me?	Partridge	3:04
		5		Life Begins at the Hop	Moulding	3:47
		6		Making Plans for Nigel	Moulding	4:12
		7		Ten Feet Tall	Moulding	3:13
		8		Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down	Partridge	4:20
		9		Generals and Majors	Moulding	3:41
		10		Towers of London	Partridge	4:38
		11		Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)	Partridge	3:36
		12		Love at First Sight	Moulding	3:07
		13		Respectable Street	Partridge	3:07
		14		Senses Working Overtime	Partridge	4:34
		15		Ball and Chain	Moulding	4:29
		16		No Thugs in Our House	Partridge	5:10
		17		Great Fire	Partridge	3:50
		18		Wonderland	Moulding	4:15
		19		Love on a Farmboy's Wages	Partridge	3:59
		20		All You Pretty Girls	Partridge	3:59
		21		This World Over	Partridge	4:45
		22		Wake Up	Moulding	3:40
		23		Grass	Moulding	2:42
		24		The Meeting Place	Moulding	3:13
		25		Dear God	Partridge	3:37
		26		The Mayor of Simpleton	Partridge	3:57
		27		King for a Day	Moulding	3:36
		28		The Loving	Partridge	3:54
		29		The Disappointed	Partridge	3:38
		30		The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead	Partridge	5:03
		31		Wrapped in Grey	Partridge	3:46

¡Aquí!