The Active Listener

Whilst stumbling blindly thru' the interweb a few months ago I discovered The Active Listener. To this day I'm not sure whether it's a blog or a label, or a blog that releases stuff, or a label that has a blog - however, not important. What is important is that it has been required reading since that day. It bills itself as an 'Entertainment Website' specialising in 'Psychedelia, Spookadelica & more from the fringes' - never has a description been more apt. These guys work out of New Zealand - a country with rich musical heritage (think Flying Nun Records, The Clean, The Chills, The Dead C's etc - we'll gloss over Crowded House) and it is them I can thank for introducing me to my current driving sounds - 12 Theories of Time Travel by The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies.
Anyway, what makes this site really special is the monthly sampler they produce, real mixed bags of genres, sounds and artists. The new one, 'The Active Listener Sampler 25' is out and is another eclectic mix - check it out here. In the spirit of brevity and low boredom thresholds I will attempt to give you a brief rundown of the tracks:
Halasan Bazar -Tin Foiled. This has a nice jangly sixties vibe about it, made me smile.
Des Roses - Nothing goes ahead. This is a bit darker with tinge of neofolk (think Death in June without the 'dubious' imagery - far, far more pleasant)
The Foreign Films - Teardrop Town. This track put me in mind of Holly Golightly, specifically her work with Dan Melchior. It has a cool 'gothabilly' guitar twang to it.
The Dowling Poole - Getting a licence. Definitely an eighties indie vibe with shades of Squeeze, and those guys could write songs!
Prince Rupert Drops - Dangerous Death Ray. This sounds like an eighties Paisley revival track and would fit right at home on the 'Son of Nuggets' boxset.
The Greek Theatre - Even you will find a home my son. A nice chunk of psychedelic folk.
The Young Sinclairs - That's all right. A band that is making a real name for themselves in psych circles. California sixties tinged folk rock
Soft Hearted Scientists - Away. A lovely slice of psychedelic pop from the ever-reliable Cardiff psychsters.
Lutine - Synnove. I had never heard of these until now but what a voice - lush pastoral folk conjuring visions of sunshine and cider - lovely stuff -sparse, just voice, harmonies and a barely audible plucking of acoustic guitar - check them out!
Listening Center - Spring's Echo - hauntological, sounding as if it's come straight from the Ghost Box roster.
Maston - Engrams. A nice piece of psych - reverb and organ with a childlike music box quality
Delia Haunt - Hitomi. This is another eighties feeling track with an almost darkwave feel about it.
The Chemistry Set - Come kiss me vibrate and smile. This, for me, is the standout track. A fine piece of modern psych, ringing guitars and a distinct 'Nuggets' vibe - excellent stuff!
Sky Children- Sunny Creature - another psychedelic folk number, feel good and soporific (in good way!).
Apologies if I've sold anyone short, but there is no real weak track on this comp and The Active Listener have again surpassed themselves with a cracking mix.



For Lovers Of: Pretty much anything good!
Links:
The Active Listener
Bandcamp
Faceache
@activelistener1
Individual links for the artists mentioned can be found via the Bandcamp page