Special 90s Hardcore Fundraiser Show Playlist

A long playlist. I omitted the NYHC and East Bay stuff and focused on a lot of lesser known bands. I also ran out of time to play the rest of the Council Records and Bloodlink stuff. And apologies to Eurich for not playing them.

01. Antischism - Scream - Discography (Prank 1998)
02. Initial State - Feast - Abort the Soul (Prank 1998)
03. .fuckingcom - Earth Mover - Self-Titled (Prank 1998)
04. A//Political - Free Trade in Death - Planting the Seeds of Revolution (Crasshole 1997)
05. Iconoclast - Battlefields - Discography (Ebullition 2002)
06. Los Crudos - Illegal y Que (Live Studio Session) - Discografia (Lengua Armada 2001)
07. Insult to Injury - Traitor - The Things Kids Say (Three Day Hero 199x?)
08. Tonka - Butterknife - Stupid By the Grace of God (Assorted Porkchops 1991)
09. Unherd - Blue - Self-Titled (Assorted Porkchops 1993)
10. Assfactor 4 - Deliri-Loco - Self-Titled (Old Glory 1995)
11. Salvo Rain - Jonsong - Shanked 7" (Self-Released 1995)
12. Marion - Favorite Patient - Self-Titled (KFLR-USA 199x?)
13. Eagle Bravo - You Said It, Chairman - 1/2 (Gridsector 199x?)
14. Cornelius - Terraforming - Discography (Assorted Porkchops 2001)
15. Palatka - Another Sort of Blacklist - End of Irony (No Idea 1999)
16. End of the Century Party - Ask My Exorcist or My School Psychiatrist - Discography 1993-1999 (Coaxt 2004)
17. In/Humanity - Super Plan B - Your Future Lies Smoldering at the Feet of the Robots (Stereonucleosis/Coalition/Prank 1997)
18. Index for Potential Suicide - How To Build a Silencer for a Semiautomatic Weapon - Sex, Violence, Whatever (Alone 2005)
19. End of the Line - Guilt - Self-Titled (Ebullition 1993)
20. Antioch Arrow - Somba - In Love With the Jetts/Lady is a Cat (Gravity 1997)
21. Clikatat Ikatowi - Too Simple - Orchestrated and Conducted By (Gravity 1996)
22. Angel Hair - Space Ape - Pregnant with the Senior Class (Gravity 1997)
23. Heroin - Meaningless - Self-Titled CD (Gravity 1997)
24. Honeywell - Expectafeelis - Electric Kool-Aid (Monotone Supersounds 1994)
25. Mohinder - To Satisfy - Everything (GSL 2001)
26. The VSS - Lunar Weight - Nervous Circuits (GSL 1997)
27. Drive Like Jehu - Caress - Self-Titled (Cargo 1991)
28. Swing Kids - Forty Three Seconds - Discography (Three One G 1998)
29. Guyver-One - Nine Pints - Obsessed With... (Inchworm 1996)
30. Universal Order of Armageddon - Desperate Motion - Self-Titled (Gravity 1994)
31. Gauze - Essa Hoi Sassa - Kao O Aratte Denaoshite Koi (XXX 1997)
32. Uutuus - Maailman Politiikkaa - Systeemin Rattaissa EP (Genet 1993)
33. Unhinged - Won't Be My Shelter - Resisting the Murder of Self EP (Nabate 1993)
34. Nausea - Battened - The Punk Terrorist Anthology Vol. 1 (Alternative Tentacles 2001)
35. Doom - Days Go By - Fuck Peaceville (Profane Existence 1995)
36. Hiatus - No Answers To Lead Me - Old Fashioned Shit for Consumers (Ataque Sonoro 1995)
37. Spazz - Not Even Phased - Crush, Kill, Destroy (Slap-a-Ham 1999)
38. Capitalist Casualties - Worker - Self-Titled (Slap-a-Ham 1997)
39. Econochrist - Behave - Discography (Ebullition 1999)
40. Code 13 - Criminal Empire - Complete Discography 1994-2000 (Havoc 2000)
41. Destroy - The Revolution Will Not Be Analog - Necropolis (Sound Pollution 1994)
42. Man is the Bastard - Volatile Cocktail - Abundance of Guns (S.O.A. 1992)
43. Rorschach - Lightning Strikes Twice - Autopsy (Gern Blandsten 1995)
44. Deadguy - Apparatus - Fixation on a Coworker (Victory 1995)
45. Born Against - Mount the Pavement - Patriotic Battle Hymns (Kill Rock Stars 2003)
46. His Hero is Gone - Automation - Monument to Thieves (Prank 1998)
47. Infest - Terminal Nation - No Man's Slave (Deep Six 2002)
48. Phobia - Blood Sport - Means of Existence (Slap-a-Ham 1998)
49. Crossed Out - Crown of Thorns - 1990-1993 (Slap-a-Ham 2000)
50. Amber Inn - Leave With Dignity - All Roads Still Lead Home (Ebullition 1998)
51. Torches to Rome - Young Arsenal - (Ebullition 1997)
52. Portraits of Past - Implications of a Sinkhole Personality - Self-Titled (Ebullition 1995)
53. Reversal of Man - Pieces of Eight - Discography CD (Schematics 2005)
54. The Nation of Ulysses - You're My Miss Washington, D.C. - 13-Point Program to Destroy America (Dischord 1991)
55. Hoover - Distant - The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (Dischord 1999)
56. Jawbox - Tracking - Novelty (Dischord 1992)
57. Circus Lupus - Pacifier - Super Genius (Dischord 1992)
58. Fugazi - Smallpox Champion - In on the Kill Taker (Dischord 1991)
59. Unwound - New Energy - The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars 1995)
60. Four Hundred Years - Thicker Than Water - Suture and Other Songs (Lovitt 1999)
61. Frodus - The Misaligned Men of Flomation - Conglomerate International (Tooth & Nail 1998)
62. Sleepy Time Trio - Dear Hands, - Memory Minus (Lovitt 1998)
63. The Monorchid - Distortion - Let Them Eat (Lovitt 1996)
64. Young Ginns - Score - Self-Titled (Honey Bear 1998)
65. (Young) Pioneers - We Don't Believe in Criminals - Free the (Young) Pioneers Now! (Lookout 1998)
66. Anasarca - East Bunk Hill - Discography 1994-1997 (Second Nature Recordings 2001)
67. Policy of Three - 1 Percent - An Anthology (Ebullition 2005)
68. Frail - Obscene Jigsaw Puzzle - Make Your Own Noise CD (Bloodlink 2000)
69. Current - Continued Rantings - Discography (Council 1998)

October 30, 2007 Playlist - O&E

01. Woods - Silence is Golden - How to Survive In/In the Woods (Release the Bats 2006)
02. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues - Kensington Blues (Tequila Sunrise 2005)
03. The Tower Recordings - Lunar Discotheque - Furniture Music for Evening Shuttles (Siltbreeze 1998)
04. Ignatz - Degradation of the Best - They are Quiet as Mice (Bennifer Editions 2006)
05. Blues Control - Frankie's Problem - Self-Titled (Holy Mountain 2007)
06. Noxagt - Histrionix - Self-Titled (Load 2006)
07. Times New Viking - Lion and Oil - Present the Paisley Reich (Siltbreeze 2007)
08. Death Sentence: PANDA! - New China Blazers - Live Recording
09. My Cat is an Alien - C1 - Landscapes of an Electric City/Hypnotic Spaces (Ecstatic Peace 2002)
10. Magik Markers - Body Rot - Boss (Ecstatic Peace 2007)
11. Pink & Brown - Black Pearl - Shame Fantasy II (Load 2003)
12. So So Many White White Tigers - We Shoot Arrows - Self-Titled (Weird Forest 2005)
13. Night Wounds - Allergic to Heat - Allergic to Heat (Corleone 2007)
14. Epic45 - The Stars In Spring - May Your Heart Be the Map (Make Mine Music 2007)
15. Sharks Keep Moving - Cashmere, Washington - Desert Strings and Drifters (Second Nature Recordings 1998)
16. Japancakes - Double Jointed - Giving Machines (Darla 2007)
17. Landing - Loft - Brocade (Strange Attractors 2005)
18. July Skies - Coastal Stations - Dreaming of Spires (Rocket Girl 2002)
19. Discolor - Sparkle Plenty - III (Mimaze/Lizard 2001)
20. Koushik - Battle Rhymes for Battle Times - Be With (Stones Throw 2005)
21. Haiku D'Etat - Coup de Theatre - Coup de Theatre (Decon 2004)
22. Dr. Octagon - Aliens - The Return of Dr. Octagon (OCD 2006)
23. Dabrye - Piano - Two/Three (Ghostly 2006)
24. Hieroglyphics - It's About Time - Over Time (Hieroglyphics Imperium 2007)
25. Yellow6 - I Loved You More Before I Knew You Loved Me - Painted Sky (Resonant 2007)
26. Arc Lab - Flood Case - One Five Zero (n5MD 2007)
27. The Octopus Project - Mmaj - Hello, Avalanche (Peek-A-Boo 2007)
28. Flying Lotus - Massage Situation - Reset (Warp 2007)
29. Health - Lost Time - Self-Titled (Lovepump United 2007)

October 23, 2007 Playlist - O&E

Download, um, this, uh, show, um...

01. The Field Mice - Fabulous Friend - Snowball (Sarah 1989)
02. Paddington Distortion Combo - Humming Lost Song - Songs in D-struction (actionpop! 2006)
03. Blank Dogs - It Was - The Doorbell Fire (Sweet Rot 2007)
04. Tar...Feathers - Mother of Three - Rumours Travel Fast (Release the Bats 2007)
05. Blockhead - Insomniac Olympics - Music By Cavelight (Ninja Tune 2004)
06. Pre - Scenes from a 1963 Los Angeles Love-in - Epic Fits (Skin Graft 2007)
07. Coachwhips - Thee Alarm - Bangers vs Fuckers (Narnack Records 2003)
08. Six Finger Satellite - Dark Companion - Severe Exposure (Sub Pop 1995)
09. This Moment in Black History - Tape Don't Lie - It Takes a Nation of Assholes to Hold Us Back (Cold Sweat 2006)
10. Burning Star Core - Operator Dead...Post Abandoned - Operator Dead...Post Abandoned (No Quarter 2007)
11. Growing - Lightfoot - Vision Swim (Troubleman Unlimited 2007)
12. Tim Hecker - Aerial Light-Pollution Orange - Mirages (Alien8 2004)
13. Heller - St. Jean - Soundtrack for Variable Fiction (Ytterbium 2006)
14. Anne Laplantine - Pour - Nordheim (Gooom 2000)
15. cLOUDDEAD - 3 Twenty - Ten (Mush 2004)
16. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Crimson Ways - Black Earth (Ipecac 2004)
17. Sublux - Trail Guide to the Soul - Becoming Innocuous EP (Selective Focus 2005)
18. The Robot Ate Me - We Ate Each Other - They Ate Themselves (Swim Slowly 2002)
19. ES - Sateenkaarisuudelma II - Sateenkaarisuudelma (K-RAA-K 2005)
20. Lau Nau - Kivi Murenee Jolla Kavelee - Kuutarha (Locust 2005)
21. Hala Strana - Wedding of the Blind - Heave the Gambrel Roof (Music Fellowship 2007)
22. The North Sea - Take It From Me Brother Moses - Exquisite Idols (Type 2007)
23. Area C - Outside the Flaming Body - Haunt (Last Visible Dog 2007)
24. Paavoharju - Tavataan 12-7-2004 - Tuote Akatemia/Unien Savonlinna EP (Miasmah 2006)
25. Aidan Baker - I - I Will Always and Forever Hold You in My Heart and Mind (Small Doses 2007)

October 16, 2007 Playlist - O&E

01. Lungfish - Organ Harvest - Indivisible (Dischord 1997)
02. Echo is Your Love - Peace Song - Humansize (If-Society 2006)
03. Milemarker - Virtual Sex - Ominosity (Eyeball 2005)
04. Cinemechanica - Bruckheimer - The Martial Arts (Hello Sir 2006)
05. Wooden Shjips - We Ask You to Ride - Self-Titled (Holy Mountain 2007)
06. Death Chants - For Good - Self-Titled (Time-Lag 2006)
07. Six Organs of Admittance - Attar - The Sun Awakens (Drag City 2006)
08. The Durutti Column - Birthday Present - Sporadic Three (Kooky 2007)
09. Ecstatic Sunshine - Tuscan - Freckle Wars (Carpark 2006)
10. Tar... Feathers - Build Me a Wreck - Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface (Adagio830 2006)
11. Odawas - Beware - Raven and the White Night (Jagjaguwar 2007)
12. Espers - Mansfield and Cyclops - II (Drag City 2006)
13. Letters Letters - We'll Make Our Home - Self-Titled (Type 2007)
14. Arve Henriksen - Black Mountain - Strjon (Rune Grammofon 2007)
15. Badgerlore - Duet - We Are All Hopeful Farmers, We Are All Scared Rabbits (Xeric 2007)
16. Fennesz + Sakamoto - Mono - Cendre (Touch 2007)
17. Odd Nosdam - Hollow Me - Untitled Three (Anticon 2005)
18. White Rainbow - Warm Clicked Fruit - Prism of the Eternal Now (Kranky 2007)
19. Zaimph - Jeweled Hand - Mirage of the Other (Gipsy Sphinx 2007)
20. Stars of the Lid - Another Ballad for Heavy Lids - And Their Refinement of the Decline (Kranky 2007)
21. The Skull Defekts - The Secret - Blood Spirits and Drums Are Singing (Conspiracy 2007)
22. Psychic Ills - Vice - Early Violence (The Social Registry 2006)
23. Mouthus - Armies Between - Saw a Halo (Ecstatic Peace! 2007)
24. GHQ - Untitled 1 - Seven Sisters (Arbitrary Signs 2007)
25. Shearing Pinx - Blood Corridor - Poison Hands (Gilgongo 2007)

Wildebeest

It seems like every day more and more punk rock kids are picking up acoustic guitars and writing folk songs. I see 2007 as a sort of culmination of this since it's had some pretty major releases from Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music and Tim Barry of Avail. Of course, there's always Plan-It-X Records for all your folk punk needs and the kids down in Gainesville who used to be in hardcore bands.

Matthew Winn (Wildebeest) is a musician who started out in Athens, GA and moved up to Brooklyn. I first came across his music thanks to another singer-songwriter who's also familiar with the quaint, southern town. A lot of his music borders the folk punk lines, but the gems are his more understated songs like "Tractors" where the real folk influence takes over even when it's played live with his band. Don't get me wrong, the trumpet, drums, and feedback are wonderful and deafeningly pleasing, but there's a more intimate feeling to his solo songs. So far he's released a full-length and a couple very limited EPs that you'd be lucky to get your hands on. His upcoming album Dead Pets was recorded in a cabin in the Catskill mountains, but until that is let loose, we're going to have to settle for some awesome live performances.

"Host and Hostage"
"Tractors"
"Tractors" (Solo)
"Animals"

From If You Make It:


By the way, do you hear some Unwound in that or is it just me?

Review

Alaska the Tiger
The Truth About Earthquakes
RIYL: Slint, Unwound, Shellac, Lungfish
"Hater, Lover, Fucker"

Alaska the Tiger are a recently defunct band from Columbia, South Carolina. Hopefully you got around to seeing them play because otherwise you missed out. Big time. Columbia has a long history of being bashed for lack of a good rock scene, but the truth is that the city has always had incredible bands. Of course, my word is only as good as far back as the mid 90s go with bands like Assfactor 4 (All right, Tonka and Unherd. Anyone remember Marion?) because that's about as far back as I'm familiar with the music scene here. But living in California, names like In/Humanity still stuck out among our Drive Like Jehus and Antioch Arrows. And still today, Columbia continues to be rewarded and adorned by bands like Alaska the Tiger (to the ignorance of most it sometimes seems).

The Truth About Earthquakes is a 3-song EP that sounds like a whole bunch of my favorite bands, and that always puts a smile on my face. Slint and Unwound are no doubt the inspiration for the band's gloomy sort of indie rock sound. Alaska the Tiger are one of the more unique bands I've heard from Columbia, but in way of bands with their influences stemming from Unwound (as well as bands whose members write for the Free Times), I treat you to Death Becomes Even the Maiden, another Columbia great with a lot of history behind it.

3 songs may not be much to discuss, but it's plenty of room for a band to let out anything they want. The overwhelming clutter of buzz and feedback, the quiet-but-tense vocals and loud-but-melodic high energy music recalls this history. It really doesn't matter if Alaska the Tiger don't play something we’ve never heard before. It’s people playing what they want to play, and it’s really fucking good. Alaska the Tiger are another proud Columbia memoir, and The Truth About Earthquakes is a conspiracy to make you smile.

October 09, 2007 Playlist - O&E

01. Efterklang - Mirador - Parades (The Leaf Label 2007)
02. Mom - The Gradual Instant - Little Brite (Pancakes for Mattie 2007)
03. Woods - How To Survive In - How To Survive In/In The Woods (Release the Bats 2006)
04. Kattoo - Place 8 - Places (Hymen 2004)
05. Khonnor - An Ape Is Loose - Handwriting (Type 2004)
06. Mahogany - Mantissa - Connectivity! (Darla 2006)
07. Chihei Hatakeyama - Towards a Tranquil Marsh - Minima Moralia (Kranky 2006)
08. Howl On, Despicable Wolves - I Just Want Us To Be Clean - Self Titled EP (Makeshift Origami 2006)
09. The Deep and Holy Sea - The Warning Light of the Moon - Demo (Self Released 2006)
10. Hop Along, Queen Ansleis - Bride & Groom Hot Air Balloon - Freshman Year (Self Released 2005)
11. Jason Choi and the Sea - What'd Ya Call Me - Sampilation (Team Grizzly 2007)
12. Aphid Ant Constructions - Rest Assured - Demo (Self Released 2005)
13. Flower Travellin' Band - Satori Part II - Satori (Atlantic 1971)
14. Raccoo-oo-oon - Antler Mask - Behold Secret Kingdom (Release the Bats 2007)
15. Watchers - S.I.S.I.A.I. - Vampire Driver (Gern Blandsten 2007)
16. Pivot - Incidental Backcloth - Make Me Love You (Sensory Projects 2005)
17. Dirty Three - This Night - Cinder (Touch & Go 2005)
18. Egypt Is The Magick # - The Astronomer's Stone - How Many Pieces Of The Puzzle Can The Mind Go Without? (Sound@1 2000)
19. La Rumeur - A Minuit L'égorgeur - Nous sommes les premiers... (EMI 2003)
20. Mindflayer - Azaglians Troupe Hat Ribbons Fite Dance - It's Always 1999 (Load 2004)
21. No Neck Blues Band - Boreal Gluts - Qvaris (5RC 2005)
22. Luck of Aleia - Burning Bridges - Six Songs (Caulfield 1999)
23. Mainspring - Primrose - Discography (Cass 1998?)
24. Honeywell - It's a Wonderful Life - Industry (Mollycoddle 1994)
25. Antioch Arrow - Space Age - In Love With the Jetts (Gravity 1994)
26. Pre - I Met Her in the Bin - Epic Fits (Skin Graft 2007)
27. Health - Crimewave - Self Titled (Lovepump United 2007)
28. Letters Letters - Between the Seams - Self Titled (Type 2007)

Reviews

A few more mini-reviews.



Moving Units
Hexes for Exes
RIYL: The Rapture, The Faint, You Are The Drum, Death From Above 1979
"Blood Beats"

A mix of post-punk and dancy indie rock, Hexes for Exes is the next logical step for the band. While it no longer relies on a minimalist charm and is more The Faint than ever, the album still fits right along with everything Moving Units have released since their ThreeOneG debut. To put it bluntly, they're one of the few “dance punk” bands who don't immediately stand out as garbage. Compared to bands like VHS or Beta or Death From Above 1979, Moving Units avoid rock star ripoff status because they aren't a carbon-copy of their influences. That, and they just have so many of them. Sure, there's Gang of Four, ESG, Pixies, The Cure, Daft Punk ad nauseum, but listen closely enough and you can hear a little bit of Can, Wire, and even Captain Beefheart. Moving Units have been a long time favorite of the Southern California scene, but then again Palatka's "The Truth About San Diego" sums it up pretty well.



Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala
RIYL: El Perro Del Mar, Belle and Sebastian, Architecture in Helsinki, Morrissey
"The Opposite Of Hallelujah"

Either you like him or you don't, and I doubt that will ever change. Night Falls Over Kortedala is all and more that we've come to expect from Jens Lekman, and like his previous albums, there are small shimmers I can only describe as incredible whereas everything else tries desperately to remain a complete bore. There's some appeal in that, though. It's why people like Belle and Sebastian probably. The difference is that Night Falls Over Kortedala is playful with its depression. Piano, ukulele, wordsmithing—dig it.



Chicago Afrobeat Project
(A) Move to Silent Unrest
RIYL: Fela Kuti, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Nomo
"Superstar Pt. 7"

Afrobeat is working its way closer into the mainstream every year, and 2007 is no exception having seen so many releases. CAbP keep a bright spotlight on their influences while dancing around a lot of obscure genres. Jeff Parker from Tortoise is noted as working with the band frequently, but since they're from Chicago, it's pretty much a given that a Tortoise member is somehow involved. Silly me, thinking that the similarities were a coincidence. Most of the songs have long runtimes, but they transition so much that you'll never feel worn out. (A) Move to Silent Unrest is simply the best orchestrated Afrobeat album of the year.

October 02, 2007 Playlist - O&E

Not a whole lot in the way of "oddities" this time, but hopefully I snuck in a few things you've never heard before.

01. Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain - Ocean Rain (Korova 1984)
02. Fursaxa - Alone in the Dark Wood - Alone in the Dark Wood (Eclipse 2007)
03. Hrvatski - Paint it Black - Swarm & Dither (Planet Mu 2002)
04. Islaja - Muukalai-silma - Ulual YYY (Fonal 2007)
05. 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (International Artists 1966)
06. Dead Moon - Running Scared - Echoes of the Past (Sub Pop 2006)
07. The Boggs - Forts - Forts (Gigantic 2007)
08. Shotmaker - Shortwave Radio - The Complete Discography 1993-1996 (Troubleman Unlimited 2000)
09. By the End of Tonight - If That Diamond Ring Don't Sing - The Imaginary EP (Temporary Residence Limited 2006)
10. Lullatone - Sleepytime Samba - Plays Pajama Pop Pour Vous (Audio Dregs 2006)
11. You Are The Drum - Take Out the Trash (My Friend) - Step In, Step Out (Self-Released 2000?)
12. The Appleseed Cast - Ring Out the Warning Bell - Low Level Owl Vol. 2 (Deep Elm 2001)
13. When Clouds Attack - Ebb and Flow - Self-Titled EP (Infidel 2007)
14. Múm - Moon Pulls - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy (Fat Cat 2007)
15. Picastro - Friend of Mine - Whore Luck (Polyvinyl 2007)
16. Skallander - Haala - Self-Titled (Type 2007)
17. Caribou - After Hours - Andorra (Merge 2007)
18. Ghastly City Sleep - Ice Creaks - Self-Titled (Robotic Empire 2007)
19. Alaska the Tiger - Self-Portrait of a Drinker - The Truth About Earthquakes (Self-Released 2007)
20. American Football - The One WIth the Tambourine - Self-Titled EP (Polyvinyl 1998)
21. Heart Monster - Communities - Discography (Self-Released 2007)
22. Tiny Masters of Today - Radio Riot - Bang Bang Boom Cake (Great Society 2007)
23. M83 - By The Kiss - Digital Shades Vol. 1 (Mute 2007)
24. Dälek - Trampled Brethren - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (Ipecac 2002)
25. El-P - The Day After Yesterday - Collecting the Kid (Definitive Jux 2004)
26. Shape of Broad Minds - Buddafly Away - Craft of the Lost Art (Lex 2007)
27. Mono - Memorie Dal Futuro - A Collection of EPs: 2000-2007 (Temporary Residence Limited 2007)

Reviews

Jason Anderson
Tonight
RIYL: The Hold Steady, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Bruce Springsteen
"Jonesboro"

Jason Anderson is a man who you may know from his 2005 The Wreath or, more likely, his work in the band Wolf Colonel. Forget about him. The lo-fi Jason Anderson who threw in a catchy song here and there as a pleasantry? This ain't it. This is a Jason Anderson you've never heard. Sure, you can still experience his high energy shows, his dedicated fan following, and his general avoidance of playing on a stage, but these new songs are indeed just that. Sort of. They're a different sound with the same feeling. The writhing gist of an old acquaintance. A new familiarity. Is Tonight borderline second-rate blue-collar rock? Maybe. But is it still fun as hell? You bet.



M83
Digital Shades Vol. 1
RIYL: Brian Eno, Fennesz, Boards of Canada, Air, Múm
"Coloring the Void"

Hippiegazer extraordinaire Anthony Gonzalez is probably the most namedropped artist when it comes to present-day shoegaze, and let's face it: It's because he's really awesome. New or old, fresh or stale, Digital Shades Vol. 1 is the return-to-form album for M83. Where Before The Dawn Heals Us radiated anthemic charisma, Digital Shades Vol. 1 might as well be the new replacement soundtrack for the upcoming final cut edition of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. With this album, we're returning to what some noise bands wish they could still do with field recordings and formless song structures where the inherent appeal of fuzzy, percussionless noise as music creates some kind of dense, dramatic lull you'd only experience from nighttime hypoglycemia. No, I'm not a doctor, but I did listen to M83 last night.



Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew
Spirit If...
RIYL: Stars, Menomena, Do Make Say Think, Sunset Rubdown, Metric
"Aging Faces/Losing Places"

A solo album? I don't get it. Even though it still has members of both Broken Social Scene and friends (Feist, Stars, Emily Haines), the new-but-not-so-different title is the first in the series of "Broken Social Scene Presents" albums. Low key songs are really what define this pseudo-solo release. By striking a balance between indie pop, singer-songwriter, and post-rock, the album has a sort of high-production, but lo-fi charm. I'm a sucker for texture added into songs, whether it's a ship creaking as it goes down, number stations, or even samples as breakdowns. Especially samples as breakdowns. Now, for two big complaints about the album: 1) It's too contrived. The distraught vocals, the moody, emotional storytelling—you're not falling for this are you? 2) It's too self-indulgent. Does Kevin Drew really need the backup of Feist and Emily Haines? How can you even call this a solo effort? And remember, this is going to be a series of albums. What if the sequels suck? Oh, god. What if they don't?

September 25, 2007 Playlist - O&E

This isn't the full playlist, but a good majority of it. We had a bunch of trainees in the studio, so yeah. Screamy vocals make awkward silences even more awkward.

01. Goldmund - Larrows of the Field - Corduroy Road (Type 2005)
02. Colleen - The Golden Morning Breaks - The Golden Morning Breaks (The Leaf Label 2005)
03. A.C. Marias - Just Talk - One of Our Girls (Has Gone Missing) (Mute 1999)
04. Audrey - Six Yields - Visible Forms (A Tenderversion Recording 2006)
05. Slowdive - Rutti - Pygmalion (Creation 1995)
06. Blues Control - The Blue Sheep - Self Titled (Holy Mountain 2007)
07. Echo is Your Love - Memories - 8 Hours (If Society 2002)
08. Japandi - 1 - Self Titled (Self-Released 2003?)
09. Shellac - The Admiral - At Action Park (Touch & Go 1994)
10. Lungfish - Black Helicopters - Artificial Horizon (Dischord 1998)
11. Shroomunion - Monkey Song - ADV-M9 loves ADV-M10 (Monopoly 1994)
12. Jawbox - Static - Novelty (Dischord 1992)
13. Breather Resist - As Far As Goodbyes Go - Charmer (Jade Tree 2004)
14. Merel - Waiting for a Fist Fight - Merel (Gern Blandsten 1995)
15. Book of Dead Names - Establishment of Pronunciation - The Story Unfolds (Blood of the Young 2002)
16. The VSS - Silt, etc - 22-51 (GSL 1996)
17. Torches to Rome - Young Arsenal - Self Titled (Ebullition 1998)
18. Resplendent - In My Quiet Car - Am I Free? I Am Free (Mixx Tape 2005)
19. Clikatat Ikatowi - Rise and Shine - River of Souls (Gravity 1998)
20. At The Drive-In - Heliotrope - Vaya (Fearless 1999)

Update

Okay, I lied. I'm still doing a free format show. Oddities and Enmities, Tuesdays 10-Midnight. For your convenience and safety, a link to the webstream is on the right.

Since I decided to update this blog, I'll start posting things like playlists, mini album reviews, and YouTube videos of really obscure bands you haven't been cool enough to listen to until now.

May 05, 2007 Playlist - TWS

Download this show.

This was my last show of the semester. I'm going to do a free format show during the summer and then hardcore again in the fall.

01. Wake Up Snake - Never Saw Blood - Live a Thousand Lives EP (Self Released 2007)
02. Cantwell Gomez & Jordan - Shayna Wuz Here Peeing Like a Cheetah - We Are Not at the Opera (307 Knox 2007)
03. Bikini Kill - Capri Pants - Reject All American (Kill Rock Stars 1995)
04. Building Better Bombs - Bottle Rocket - Freak Out Squares (Init 2007)
05. Apeshit - Penis on a Washcloth - Tigershark/Apeshit Split (Molsook 2007)
06. Heart Monster - Pennsylvania - Discography (Self Released 2007)
07. The Assistant - I Have a Name - The Assistant/This Ship Will Sink/Takaru Split (Waking 2006)
08. In First Person - The Beast - Lost Between Hands Held Tight (Paramnesia 2007)
09. Takaru - Ultimate - There Can Only Be None (Alone 2004)
10. Mara'akate - Tree Song - Self Titled (One Day Savior 2003)
11. Makara - Papercuts - The Antique Dream (Level Plane 2001)
12. Snapcase - Coagulate - End Transmission (Victory 2002)
13. Capsule - Luke Warm - Capsule+ (Dippy 2006)
14. Divider - At Twilight (Shock Value 2006)
15. Furnace - Astronaut - Self Titled (Shock Value 2007)
16. In Full Effect - Over There (Live at Sector 7G 2006)
17. Where It Ends - Not Ready - Resonate (Surprise Attack 2007)
18. Invade - Fuck Tradition - In Times of War/Invade Split (Eternal Hope 2006)
19. The First Step - Learning - What We Know (Rivalry 2006)
20. Die Young - Graven Images - Graven Images (Eulogy 2007)
21. The Hope Conspiracy - Fallen - Endnote (Equal Vision 2002)
22. American Nightmare - AM-PM - Background Music (Equal Vision 2002)
23. Civil Dissident - 20th Century Holocaust Pt II - Cleanse the Bacteria Compilation (Pusmort 1985)
24. Corrosion of Conformity - Kiss of Deaths - Cleanse the Bacteria Compilation (Pusmort 1985)
25. Poison Idea - Typical - Cleanse the Bacteria Compilation (Pusmort 1985)
26. 7 Seconds - We're Gonna Fight - Cleanse the Bacteria Compilation (Pusmort 1985)
27. We Are Corpses! - Sorry for Apologising - Her Breath on Glass/We Are Corpses Split (Self Released 2005?)
28. Bezout's Identity - Broad Reach - Bezout's Identity/Peter and Craig Split (Self Released 2007)
29. Sine Nomine - Sad is the Word - This Machine is Malfunctioning (Relapse 2003)
30. Tantrum - Puss Oozing - The Frontier Bursts Into View (Radar Swarm 2004)
31. Tipping Canoe - Rudder - Self Titled (Forge 2001)
32. Daniel Striped Tiger - Disconnection - Capital Cities (Clean Plate 2007)
33. The Corta Vita - Montreal - Posthumous CD EP - (Self Released 2004)
34. Off Minor - Cadaveric - Innominate (Golden Brown 2004)
35. Wilderness Medicine - The Fisherman - Demo (Self Released 2003)
36. Ten Grand - To the Library and Step On It! - Comprehensive List of Everyone Who Has Ever Done Anything Wrong to Us (Level Plane 2003)
37. Adorno - Static Flight in Old Dancing Nights - Self Titled (We Love Pandas 2007)
38. Blackout Terror - Transparent - The Shortest Distance Between Birth and Death (Self Released 199x?)
39. Code 13 - The Future is Futile - Complete Discography 1994-2000 (Havoc 2000)
40. City of Caterpillar - Maybe They'll Gnaw Right Through - Self Titled (Level Plane 2002)
41. Current - Continued Rantings - Discography (Council 1998)
42. Fugazi - Merchandise - Repeater (Dischord 1990)

April 28, 2007 Playlist - TWS

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This show is an interview with Peter Calautti, A.K.A. Pete. He talked about putting out a record by himself and running a DIY label. We also gave relationship advice to some promiscuous punks and covered a little bit of screamo history. It's a genre that doesn't exist outside of the internet.

I did play a few songs just before the interview, though.

01. Silver Daggers - Displacement - New High and Ord (Load 2007)
02. The Hope and the Failure - Prozac Hell - The Lights Are On But This Dance Never Ends (Self Released 2005)
03. Mandela Strike Force - Did You Need It Specially Engraved - The Sound of Revolution in Stereo (Ladder 1995)
04. Assfactor 4 - Attempted Control - Self Titled (Old Glory 1995)
05. Marion - I've Got Your Shame - Self Titled (Kflr 199x?)

The Seeing Means More LP was played throughout the interview.

April 21, 2007 Playlist - TWS

Download this show.

Started the show off with some metalcore-ish stuff this time. It's all good.

01. Converge - Plagues - No Heroes (Deathwish 2007)
02. Cursed - Fatalist - Cursed II (Goodfellow 2005)
03. Kylesa - Hollow Severer - Time Will Fuse Its Worth (Prosthetic 2006)
04. Botch - Thank God for Worker Bees - We Are the Romans (Hydra Head 2000)
05. Coalesce - A New Language - Functioning on Impatience (Second Nature 2002)
06. Tragedy - Deaf and Disbelieving - Nerve Damage (Tragedy 2006)
07. Lords - Watching the Clock - Swords (Jade Tree 2005)
08. Unearth - Black Hearts Now Reign - The Oncoming Storm (Metal Blade 2004)
09. Baroness - Red Sky - Second (Hyperrealist 2005)
10. Dawntreader - Road Warriors - Deconstructing The Coffin (Metaphysics 2006)
11. Breather Resist - Loose Lipped Error - Charmer (Jade Tree 2004)
12. Young Widows - Small Talk - Settle Down City (Jade Tree 2006)
13. Coliseum - This Mind Locked Inside This Body - Self Titled (Level Plane 2004)
14. Akimbo - Tower of the Elephant - Forging Steel and Laying Stone (Alternative Tentacles 2006)
15. Doomriders - Deathbox - Black Thunder (Deathwish 2007)
16. The National Acrobat - Eyes the Size of Organs - The Complete Recordings (Initial 2004)
17. Black Cross - Icebox in the Alley - Art Offensive (Equal Vision 2003)
18. Graf Orlock - A Shocking Interrogation - Destination Time Tomorrow (Level Plane 2007)
19. Das Oath - Years of Veneers - Self Titled (ThreeOneG 2006)
20. Orchid - Lights Out - Dance Tonight, Revolution Tomorrow! (Ebullition 2001)
21. Wolves - 13 - Simulation.Transparency.Alienation (Coalition 2003)
22. Ampere - We Live Like Lost Children - Ampere/Sinaloa Split (Ebullition 2006)
23. Bucket Full of Teeth - A Hopeful Sound - IV (Level Plane 2005)
24. Transistor Transistor - Power Chord Academy - Erase All Names and Likeness (Level Plane 2005)
25. Panthers - Uncertainly - The Trick (Vice 2006)
26. Envy - Chain Wandering Deeply - A Dead Sinking Story (Level Plane 2003)
27. City of Caterpillar - Minute Hour Day Week Month Year (The Faiths In My Chest) - Self Titled (Level Plane 2002)
28. Pg. 99 - In Love With an Apparition - Document #8 (Robotic Empire 2001)
29. Stop It!! - Amen and Boys - Self Made Maps (Robotic Empire 2003)
30. Yage - Leben Leben - Anders Leben (Ebullition 2003)
31. Forensics - Boat Day at the Marina - Things To Do When You Should Be Dead Anyway (Magic Bullet 2004)
32. Hot Cross - Rejoiner - Risk Revival (Equal Vision 2007)